Shaqqa
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Shaqqa or Shakka (Arabic: شقا) a Syrian town in As Suwayda Governorate in Southern Syria. It is located 10 kilometres east of Shahba the centre of Mantiqat Shahba. Nowadays it is a town with about 8,000 inhabitants, in the northern fringes of Jabal el Druze volcanic plateau at 1070 metres above sea level.
Shaqqa enjoyed an important historical significance during Roman and Byzantine empires in the province of Arabia, it was named then (Maximianopolis)
[edit] Archaeology
Shaqqa has many archaeological constructions from the Roman and early Christian era. The most notable are:
- The Al-Qaysariye, which was a residential palace for the Roman governors. It has a number of rooms and halls with floral decorations.
- A Roman basilica, later transformed into a church dedicated to Saint George. It is believed that this church is the oldest one dedicated to Martyr George for a Greek inscription naming the building for the "holy and triumphant" martyr George. It is dated, according to the Christian calendar, either A.D. 368 or 197.
- A Kalybe, an old architectural style of temples typical for the Roman era southern Syria.
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