The Serail
Columns and a tall façade.
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
Qanawat is a town in the Jabal al-Arab about 7 km north-east of Suwayda, standing about 1,200 metres up beside a small river among trees. It holds the ruins of ancient Canatha, one of the cities of the league known as the Decapolis in Roman times. Qanawat is thought to be one of the oldest towns of the Hauran and Bashan regions and may appear in ancient Egyptian texts. It is first mentioned in the time of Herod in the 1st century BC, and was a Decapolis city from Pompey's time to Trajan's. In Byzantine times it became the seat of a bishop, and some of its temples were turned into churches. Its best-known monument is a complex locals call the Serail, a Roman building turned into a church, with tall black basalt columns in front of a high façade with doors and windows. Around it lie stones carved with fine geometric and plant patterns, and the remains of a temple to the sun among the trees. Suwayda is about 7 km away in a straight line, and the Roman theatre of Bosra about 29 km. Some photos here predate the recent war years. 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.
Columns and a tall façade.
Geometric patterns.
Around the ruins.
Qanawat, north-east of Suwayda, Syria
A league of Greco-Roman cities in southern Syria and Jordan.
Yes, they are about 11 km apart.