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Amrit |
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Amrit Ruins
( الشراريف
Sharareef
)
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The Temple :
It is a
trough digged in the rock . It is measures are / 56.33 cm × 50.49 m / .
whereas , its pool is / 38 × 48 m / . It has a corridor , columns , and
thresholds decorated by Sharareef. Among them , there are gargoyles engraved
like the lion head in a presian style . The water of the corridor's roof
inclines toward the pool . In the eastern wall , there is a holy spring ,
and an engraved canal in its eastern and southern which is used for
purgation , and another one digged in the corridor for drinking .Whereas ,
the drain is situated in the northern side .
The temple
is centered by the alter which is decorated by Sharareef and corbels of
Egyptian style . It was dedicated to Melkart ( The Vulnerary god ) .
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The roaming
around the alter is done in the corridors or by small boats in the
surrounding pool .
Lucian , the
historian , had mentioned an a like temple in Monbej ( Heirapolis ) .
Several seasons of digs and instaurations had been made . Fictile vessels
were found such as purgamy plates , decorated ,tazzas , ex-Voted sculptures
, Rhodesian jars' ears , and glass crack . It goes back to the 4th
or 5th century B.C .
The
existence of holes in Columns' corners worthsmention . It allows to put the
finger – the finger of the sick – or hang something – maybe the corban .
Amrit Hill
It
is the most famous hill in the area . And it is considered the residential
city . It is / 140 × 110 m / , and no more than / 17 m / high. Near it ,
there is a sprung for drinking know as the hill spring , and another one (
about 300 m to the west ) know as the spring of life .
Several
seasons of digs were done there . Proffessor Donan , Dr. Albuni , and
Mr.Salibi . had participated in them in the ( 4th – 5th
) century B.C . levels , the 1st Bronze age and Mid Bronze age
levels / 1750 – 1350 B.C > / , and another exploration about / 5 m / deep
between / 200 / 2150 / B.C . This is the period which the Amorits , had
established some cities on the coast , and Amrit could be considered from
this era .
- Sacred things
loding :www.tartoos.com
It is
located to the west of the
temple . It is a hillock ( small hill ) Know as the quarry . Mr.Morice Donan found , in 1927 , a group of statues and parts
of statues engraved of lime stone impressed by the Egyptian , Presian , and
Cyperian art .Also , the
digs' seasons of the fifties brought about statues ' heads crowned by bay
and some fictile toys from the ( 4th - 5th ) century
B.C . they are exhibited in Damascus , Tartous , and Arwad museums
.
The Rock House
People
Knew it as the church site . It is engraved in the rock . It western
frontage is / 30 m / long of different heights , and it is about / 80 m /
thick . It consists of three rooms whose walls are from the rock itself
.
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- The Stadium
It is about
/ 300 m / to the north and eastern – north of the temple , engraved in the
rock , and worn in some of its parts . Insomuch , some parts of it were
removed . It is eastern parties like a horseshoe with tow corridors which
allow the contestants to go in and out of the playground . Also , there is
another corridor in the southern part like a tunnel . It is / 230 × 30 m / .
It consists of seven gardes , and seats about / 11200 / spectators .
Imprinted
Rhodesian pots and parts of huge pots with crosses and different saddles
were found in it . It looks like the stadium of Alice city in Greece with a
slight different in length . It could be considered one of the Olympiad
stadiums in which games were taken place at that time ( running ,vehicle
race and bags.
)
The Mauseleums
(الشراريف
Sharareef
)
A- The Mauseleum
:
It
represents funeral statues or huge engraved tomb stones which belonged to
the kings of Amrit and Arwad , or therich . It is from the ( 5th
– 6th ) century B.C . Since , there aren't any writings , so the
owner is unknown .www.tartoos.com
- The
First :
It is pyramidal . It consists of a cubic base which
ends by corbels , and , over it , there is a barrel crowned by a pyramid .
It is entered through a corridor having stairs engraved in the rock . Next
to it , there are individual tombs . The corridor ends by tow successive
rooms : the first one contains individual tombs , while in the second ,
there is a terrace in the middle to put the householder's coffin
.
- the second
: It has domes . It is a square base headed by a barred decorated by Sharareef , followed by another barred , smaller than the first , in the
form of a dome decorated by Sharareef. An engraved corridor leads to the
vault . It has stairs which reach two successive rooms .
B- A
Collective vault
:
It
is located slightly to the east of the mauseleum . It contains tow rooms and
individual tombs and another vault having long individual tombs .
C- A memorial :
It has a cubic form . It consists of tow masses of huge stones . Having
corbels by impressed the Egyptian art.
D- Individual
or collective vaults
: It
spreads over large areas like wells engraved in the rock . The individual
tombs are distributed inside them .
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Azar
Vaults
This located
in the plain which stretched between Tartous and Amrit , and on the western
side of the road under the sand dunes . It is from the Phoenician , Greek ,
and Roman era .www.tartoos.com
The general
office ruins and museums gave them a great care . It made several seasons of
digs with the help of Prof. Naseeb Salibi , and this led to the discovery a
group of collective vaults and individual tombs which are very simple with
no sings of grandeur .
Some of them
are entered through a tight stone door by drawing it . In it , they found
lead coffins decorated by grapes tufts and the goddess of victory .
Another ones
contain coffins without having any obvious sings on the face . It seems that
the respect of the dead is not shown by the sings and external aspects which
please the viewer as Mr. Rynan mentions , but the respect comes out in the
fine things which were put inside the coffins ( Jewels , glasses – like
golden leaves , golden head band , precious stones ….)
During the
driving away of soil and sand , marble statue of god Bakhus was found . It
is a naked child, round body and short of head , carrying in his left hand
two tufts of grapes and a robe hanging like a fall .
Mr. Earnest
Rynan mentions a stone coffin with an engraved head like the one which was
discovered in Saidoun , but it was not of marbel. It was from the volcanic
stone which is known in Safita. Also , two alike coffins of marble were
found . They are in the Lover museum now .www.tartoos.com
In / 1996 /
, A familial Phoenician vault was found from the ( 4th – 5th
) century B.C , engraved in the rock . It is entered by stairs which reach a
corridor having individual tombs. It is / 9 / tombs. The burying was done by
wooden coffins which were consumed by time and humidity in four of them ,
while the other five ones , the burying is done by human – like pottery
coffins , well done , and impressed by Egyptian , Palmyrian , and Cyprian
art . The Cyperian art is obvious in the head cap , the lotus , the earings
, the hairstyle , the eyes , and the tips ( jutting out or reserved ) .
This refers
that they are from the same period, the same school, and the same workshop.
All faces
have a careless smile, and receiving death acceptably , peacefully and with
fear.
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Al-Buzzak Tower
It is a
cubic familial vault, built by huge engraved stones of different sizes,
crowned by a cornice . Its height is / 11m / , and consisted of two floors .
Each floor
is one room whose door is in the northern wall. It is from the (5th – 6th
0 century B.C. Some instaurations were done in / 1984 / .
Rom Al-Zahab
( جمالون
Truss
)
To the east-
south of Amrit temple , about / 1200 m / far from it , and next to the main
road , a wonderful cemetery is located and spread over large areas . It gave
different examples of tombs which are built of sand stone, such as:
a-
Individual whose roof is flat or truss .www.tartoos.com
b- Double ,
a wall in the middle , and the roof is truss .
c- Engraved
in fragile rock as an individual tombs.
The burying
is done by wooden coffins, and this is clear because of the existence of
worn out wood on the top and bottom of the skeletons because of humidity and
time . Or the dead is put only on backboards or in marble stone coffins .
The body was sculptured like the Egyptian mummy, whereas the head was
sculptured in a Greek way . It is a clear example on the art of delicate
repousse sculpture and ornament .
- In the
first coffin , the face is cheeky with a wide and straight nose , and thick
lips . Paint hints are shown on the grains of the head's ornament , and this
shows that the colors were removed because of humidity and the penetration
of water .
-
On the
second coffin , the sculpture of Heira's face ( the goddess of heaven , the
sister – in – law of Zeus , and the goddess of marriage and women in the
Greek mythology . This sculpture is the one which protects the dead from the
misuse of the burglars of ruins.
Also , this
cemetery has , in one of its individual tombs , a marble coffin whose cover
is truss , and the dead was put in it in a wooden coffin .
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No trove was
found in or next to these coffins. They are like the coffin group of Saidoun
which goes back to the ( 4th – 5th ) century B.C .
Note : All
the skeletons were found in the coffins and tombs , and they refer to a
strong structure , and long arms because of the existence of the whole of
the hand's bones between the thighs .
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The Port
The contact
with Award and the Mediteranean world . It is located a little bit to the
south of Martias river . It is covered by the sand dunes and the reeds . As
a result of the digs between / 1992 – 1993 / , a lot of its paved stones
were discovered to assure its site with no doubt . Man , wind , and water
had affected it . The references shows that it flourished , especially , in
the ( 4th – 5th ) century B.C .
- The
institutions are straddled near it . The site , known as the basement , is
one of its lodgings .
- A
collection of crystal white marble Corinthian chapiters and footstalls have
been found near it .
- The
excavation of a bath floor , paved by square pavements , consists of three
layes pervaded by fictile plates , and a mosaic floor near it .
- A good
residential level which goes back to the ( 3 rd – 4 th ) century B.C .www.tartoos.com
- Sand layer
.
- Bases for
residential institutions which were built by small and big stones . It
includes the potter of the ( 3 rd – 4th ) century B.C. Also , the
successive of digs' operations will uncover the essential nature of the area
, and reveal it clearly . Because a city , like Amrit , spread over wide
areas of land , and is considered the continental part of Arwad , it
flourished in different periods . It must have large port for a flourished
economic life whether by trade or agriculture , and the muchness of coins is
the best reference for its activity in this field . |
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