Archaeological “Miyamas” temples … Unique architectural edifices dating back to the second century AD

The village of “Miyamas’ , which is  located about 20 kilometers southeast of the city of  Sweida , is rich in its antiquities  dating back to different eras, most notably of which are the ancient  houses built of basalt stones and the two ancient temples that  narrate  the story of a great deep-rooted past.

 Head of  Sweida Antiquities Department, Dr. Nashat Kiwan told SANA  that the two Miyamas temples date back to the Roman era in the first half of the second century AD.

 He  pointed  out that the two temples represent  exquisite geometric shapes similar to what was known in the Syrian temples that spread in that era including  the temples of Salim, the  Al-Mashhanf, the Sai’a and Qanawat  as that  period witnessed a prosperity  of architectural decoration in  Horan region as a whole..

Kiwan added that the geometrical external shape  of the two temples embody  their enormity, and one of them was built next to the other. The two temples   are located on one axis with a distance of about 8 meters and were transformed into  church  in the Byzantine era.

 The American archaeologist Howard Crosby Butler  visited  Miyamas  in the early twentieth century and pointed out that there were two temples between the residential houses in the village, which were later transformed into a church.

It is worth noting that the village of Miyamas is distinguished by its charming mountainous nature surrounded by hills covered with evergreen oak trees, fresh air and picturesque views.

Rawaa Ghanam