Al Bseira… Archaeological City in the Euphrates Valley

(ST) – Al Bseira is an archaeological city in the Euphrates valley. It is 200 meters above sea level. It is located on the right bank of the River Khabour at its junction with the Euphrates River. It is 43 km far from Deir Ezzor city southeasterly and sits on an archaeological hill.

Its Latin ancient name is old Kirkseyoum, and means the circular fortress and its name was turned to Kerkicia in medieval Islamic. A large section of the archaeological hill was demolished. It is likely that the site dates back originally to the Babylonian period and it belonged to the Assyrian Sergo province in the ninth century BC.

The city was under the Persian rule in the time of King Dara the First, who occupied the area of Al Khabour, then it followed the Seleucids state and later it underwent the Roman domination after they had opened Syria. Deqlesain made it a militarily bulwark and remained a center for a small Episcopal in the Byzantine era, then it returned to the Persians after signing a treaty between the Byzantines and the Persians In 363 AD.

Khalid ibn Al -Walid (a Moslem leader) passed by the city when he was coming from Iraq. Caliph Omar ibn Al –Khattab conquered the city in 22 AH (a year of the Hegira, a year of the Muslim era, beginning with Mohammad’s emigration) at the hands of the leader Ayaz bin Ghanam. The city became a base for the Arab-Islamic armies for the management of Al –Khabour area.

 In the Abbasid era, the city was subsidiary to Al -Rahba town, and in the era of Atabka, it belonged to the provinces of Noureddin al-Zenki. The armies of Hulagu crossed it on a bridge they set up on the river.

The German archaeologist, Hrtzfeld, described the city’s monuments before they demolished, and stated that there was a square military castle.

Sh. Kh.