Deir al-Salib

Deir al-Salib
دير الصليب
Deir al-Sleib
Village
Deir al-Salib

Location in Syria

Coordinates: 35°05′10″N 36°26′50″E / 35.086133°N 36.447229°ECoordinates: 35°05′10″N 36°26′50″E / 35.086133°N 36.447229°E
Country  Syria
Governorate Hama
District Masyaf
Subdistrict Masyaf
Population (2004)
 • Total 2,946
Time zone EET (UTC+2)
 • Summer (DST) EEST (UTC+3)

Deir al-Salib (Arabic: دير الصليب‎, also spelled Deir al-Sleib or Deir al-Suleib) is a village in northern Syria, administratively part of the Hama Governorate, located 37 kilometers west of Hama. Nearby localities include Billin to the southeast, al-Rabiaa to the east, Asilah to the northeast, Jubb Ramlah to the north, al-Laqbah and Deir Mama to the northwest, Masyaf to the west, al-Suwaydah to the southwest and Baarin and Aqrab to the south. According to the Syria Central Bureau of Statistics, Deir al-Salib had a population of 2,946 in the 2004 census.[1] Its inhabitants are predominantly Alawites and Greek Orthodox Christians.[2]

History

In the early 19th-century the Ottoman governor of Damascus, Abdullah Pasha al-Azm, granted the leaseholds of Deir al-Salib and its satellite farms to a close associate of his, Muhammad Gharib Bey al-Azm.[3]

Byzantine church

Just outside Deir al-Salib is a 5th-6th century Byzantine-era church surrounded by fig trees.[4] It is built in the architectural style typical of the Justinian period in Syria, with its two chapels.[5] Its stone walls have a beige and ochre color. At the right of the entrance is a baptistery which still contains a cross-shaped baptismal. The narthex of the church is preceded by a central atrium and five columns demarcate its aisles. The apse is semi-circular and on the ground floor stands a gallery reserved for women. A small mausoleum containing three sarcophagi is situated at the side of the baptistery. The sarcophagi had engraved medallions that fitted crosses.[4]

References

  1. ↑ General Census of Population and Housing 2004. Syria Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS). Hama Governorate. (Arabic)
  2. ↑ Smith, 1841, p. 180.
  3. ↑ Douwes, 2000, p. 170.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Michelin, 2011, p. 216.
  5. ↑ Association internationale pour l'étude de la mosaïque antique, Association for the Study and Preservation of Roman Mosaics, Betty Morgan May Memorial Fund (1995). "Fifth International Colloquium on Ancient Mosaics: Held at Bath, England on September 5-12, 1987". Journal of Roman Archaeology.

Bibliography