Eight Syrian Clusters

UNESCO’s  World Heritage

The Heritage is the identity of the peoples and the world Heritage Convention in the last years became the most famous international mechanisms to protect cultural and natural heritage which has an outstanding universal value. Today, there are more than 750 sites listed on the global list in 129 countries, including 6 sites in Syria.

Currently, the eight clusters are competing in the provinces of Aleppo and Idlib to win the nomination on the list of UNESCO World heritage. In June 2011 and in 2/9/2006 the mission of UNESCO with the national team visited the region to put an assessment to the numbers of villages and the archaeological Sites that will be recorded, it was selected a number of archaeological sites that met the criteria and principles of the Convention on the protection of cultural and natural heritage.  The project includes 8 archaeological  localities which contain 40 villages spread over a series Of limestone  mountains between Aleppo and idlib(Simeon –Mount-Angle-Top – middle), are as follows:
1. archaeological clusters in Simeon Mount (Aleppo province) which includes: the village and the Castle of Dir Simeon, Rafada,
2. Roman Lady
3. Archaeological clusters in Simeon Mount in (Aleppo), which includes: Brad, kvrenbau, Haider Tower, Kalota, khrab shmes.
4. The archaeological clusters in Simeon Mount (Aleppo), which includes: Sinhar sheikh Suleiman Batoota.

5. the northern clusters in the middle mount (Idleb — Salqin and Alshgor bridge regions) 
which includes: Kafr Ekab – Vasuq – khrab Sultan – Amer Khrab- Torren – Khrab khalil – khrbet Almarsos- Khrbet bensraa.
6. Archaeological clusters in angle mount (idleb) which includes: Bara Tower, the mother tower Khirbat al-Rabia, Serjilla.
7. Archaeological clusters in Angle mount (idleb Ma’arrat Numan), which includes: Roihha, jaradea.
8. Archaeological Clusters of Berisha Mount (idleb), and includes: Bkirha, Khirbat al-Khatib, Dar Quetta, Deron.

9. Archaeological clusters of the high mount (idleb – harem) will include: the heart of the amygdaIa bashndlaah qerebezha. And the Archaeological villages are located on an area of 130 km. And they Live about 10 thousand people in these villages, the protectress area is still retains the traces of human settlement which back to the period between the first and seventh centuries.

The Human activities have contributed since the classical period in stereotyping and formation of the scene which still to this day preserves the properties that distinguish them in the late classical period and the Byzantine period. And the exceptional situation of conservation, which is characterized by the ruins that were abandoned for a long time by a human allows, access today to See the unique and unprecedented about the lifestyle of the inhabitants of this region and therefore  about the aspects of life in rural areas at the end of the classical period. It was suggested that the archaeological Villages in northern Syria to be registered On the World heritage list as a “cultural landscape”.
It is Considered as identical to the definition of “joint action between man and nature,” and shows Consolidation and development of society over time, by the impact of physical constraints and possibilities offered by the natural framework.”
We find within these areas main locations which are known (Serjilla and Simeon), and lesser known sites, but equally important, the locations of small: isolated and uninhabited, and sites reused in part by modern housing, and natural areas and farmland. The most important sites were selected  in terms of architectural value and natural landscape from hundreds of sites scattered in the limestone block to be able to sample the representation of human consolidation for the period between the end of Romanian and Byzantine period. ….to be continued

Haifaa Mafalani