The façade
Two towers and an arch.
Frank Kidner — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Frank Kidner — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Frank Kidner — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Frank Kidner — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Frank Kidner — CC BY-SA 4.0
Qalb Loze Church is a 5th-century stone church in the village of Qalb Loze on the Jabal al-Ala plateau in north-western Syria, near the Turkish border. It is one of the best-known monuments of the Dead Cities, and one of the earliest examples of a church with two towers flanking its entrance. The village lies about 670 metres up, some 35 km west of Aleppo, and its name means heart of the almond. Its people grow olives and tobacco. In 2022 the church was cleared of debris, and damaged parts of its floor were restored. The massive stone façade has two square towers either side of a great central arch, with rectangular windows above. Inside you see wide arches that once divided the hall, a semicircular apse built of precisely cut stone, and carved stone frames. The limestone turns gold and pink in the evening light. The Church of Saint Simeon is about 30 km away in a straight line, and Serjilla about 55 km. This is a remote area, so ask locally about the road before going. The UK Foreign Office currently advises against all travel to Syria, and British consular help is not available there, so check official guidance before making any plans.
Two towers and an arch.
Precisely cut stone.
Golden stone.
Qalb Loze, Jabal al-Ala, Idlib Governorate, Syria
Abandoned Byzantine villages in north-west Syria, with stone churches and houses.
The area is remote, so ask locally about the road.