In the North of Syria Pt. 2 - Traces of Antiquity (29/39)

In the North of Syria Pt. 2 - Traces of Antiquity (29/39)

The north of Syria offers a surprising abundance of cultural riches. Together with finds from the pre-Christian era such as Ain Dara, traces of the Romans and remnants of the first churches and cloisters of the early Christians are to be found in the area around Aleppo. The limestone massif in the north of Syria, now a bleak and karstic landscape, was evidently one of the centres of Christianity in those days. In the long-deserted settlement of Qirqbize near Aleppo, a typical church from this early time is to be found: a house which had been converted into a church where 50 people could attend a religious service... The traces of antiquity illuminate this region, about which we know so little, and reveal the splendour of its long history.

Der Norden Syriens präsentiert sich dem Besucher mit überraschenden kulturellen Reichtümern. Neben Funden aus vorchristlicher Zeit wie Ain Dara reihen sich rund um Aleppo Spuren der Römer und Überreste der ersten Kirchen und Klöster der frühen Christen. So gilt das nordsyrische Kalksteinmassiv, heute eine karge und verkarstete Landschaft, als eines der Zentren des Christentums jener Tage. Der längst verlassene Ort Qirqbize nahe Aleppo weist eine typische Kirche aus dieser ersten Zeit auf: ein in eine Kirche verwandeltes Wohnhaus, in dem 50 Menschen den Gottesdienst feiern konnten... Die Spuren der Antike beleuchten den bei uns wenig bekannten Landstrich im glanzvollen Licht seiner langen Geschichte.

This series portrays landscapes, metropoles, sacred sites and monuments, all of which have made a unique contribution to the cultural heritage of mankind. Each episode breathes life into civilizations which thrived in the past ten thousand years, some of them then vanishing without a trace into the shadows of history. The films describe epochs whose legacy lingers in the perceptions and ideas of our own age, and cult sites which have managed to preserve their religious and cultural power up to the present day.