Memories of Aleppo, Syria (II): Dead Cities and St. Simeon Stylites

Second photoblog on Aleppo, Syria, and its surroundings. Includes brief comments on St. Simeon and the 700–750 abandoned settlements in northern Syria dating to the transition period from Roman rule to Byzantine rule.

Saint on a Pillar

St. Simeon Stylites (d. 459 AD). “Stylites” are Christian ascetics that lived atop a pillar (some lived in trees or in towers). This type of ascetic piety flourished in early Christian Syria. A collection of essays on Stylites is by Barbara Crostini and Christian Høgel, Syrian Stylites (Istanbul: Swedish Research Institute in Istanbul, Transactions 26, 2024).

On St. Simeon Stylites, Encyclopædia Britannica writes: “[h]is first column was 2 meters (6 feet) high, later extended to about 15 meters (50 feet), and the platform is said to have been about 1 square meter (about 11 square feet). He remained atop the column for 37 years, permanently exposed to the elements, standing or sitting day and night in his restricted area, protected from falling by a railing, and provided with a ladder to communicate with those below or to receive meagre gifts of food from disciples.” Don’t ask how he did his “business.”

The column seen in the images is but a stump because devotees chipped bits off to retain as relics. I have not added captions to every photo since most are self-explanatory. The images immediately below relate to the site where Simeon Stylites practiced his asceticism.

**The pillar has been whittled over centuries to a stump**

The Dead Cities of Syria

“The Dead Cities, also called the “Forgotten Cities,” are a series of ancient towns, monuments, and settlements located in North-Western Syria on the Aleppo plateau.” The number of dead cities is ca. 40 well-preserved settlements; ca. 700 sites in various states of ruin. The cities were founded between the first and seventh centuries, a transition period from Roman rule to Byzantium.

An excellent resource on the “dead cities” of Syria is Warwick Ball, Syria: A Historical and Architectural Guide (Northampton, Massachusetts): Interlink, 2007), 167–89.