Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
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Maarat-al-Numan was essentially an unscheduled stop in a small market town. The attrac-
tion was a mosaic museum located in an ancient caravanserie. The displays were extensive
and varied and many were in quite good condition. Apparently they came primarily from the
floors and walls of Assyrian Christian churches, built between the 2
nd
and 5
th
centuries.
The town was compact and clean with a market running along the main thoroughfare and
down the side streets. It was a peaceful place, but it was not always the case.
The most infamous event from the city's history dates from 1098, during the First Crusade.
After the Crusaders successfully besieged Antioch they found themselves with insufficient
supplies of food. Their raids on the surrounding countryside during the winter months didn't
ease the situation. By the time they reached Maarat, and although many were suffering from
starvation, they managed to breach the city's walls and massacre about 20,000 inhabitants.
This seemed to be standard practice at the time - breach, capture and massacre. However,
this time, they resorted to widespread cannibalism. There were a number of contemporary
reports about how bodies were boiled in vats and children impaled on stakes and roasted
over fires.
With those unpleasant images in mind we travelled onward to Serjilla, one of the Dead Cit-
ies.
The Dead Cities are a group of up to 700 abandoned settlements between Aleppo and Hama.
They date back to before the 5
th
Century BC and contain many remains of Christian Byz-
antine architecture. They are situated in an elevated area of limestone known as the Belus
Massif covering an area 40 kilometre wide and some 140 kilometres long. From the nature
of the remaining structures it is evident the settlements were very prosperous and heavily
involved in the production of olive oil.
There are various theories about why the towns were abandoned, but there seems to be com-
mon agreement that it was primarily based on trade and changes in trade routes. Other cities
