Butler Diary: Northern and Central Syria IV, 1900

76

The rear walls of the houses on the borders of the town are quite unbroken but for an arched entrance and all are seen to have joined to form a sort of town wall. This is easily traceable on the north and east. This fact taken with the solid watch tower near the centre of the town would seem to show that the town was at least guarded from attacks of marauders even at an early period. The position of the town on the extreme edge of the mountain chain and exposed openly to the desert on the east would make attacks of pirates quite possible. It was for this rather than as a military ^ measure ^ that the town was thus partially fortified.

77

Dâna (lower)

On the 11th Jewitt and Huxley visited this place, the former to take some measurements of the monuments the latter to photograph them. This town must not be confused with Dâna of the plain just south of Djebel Simʿan. It is one of the large ruins of the Eastern slope of the Djebel Rîhā and was visited by de Vogüé. Several of the monuments were drawn and planned by him. In all probability the place was in a better state of preservation [...] years ago. The proximity of Ni'arra and the village which has grown up on the ancient site would account for the great dilapidation of the ruins.

Two large funeral monuments seem to be the chief monuments. One of these at the north of the town is of special interest. It is of the pyramidal order very like the great tomb at Bara and apparently belonging to the same period as one would judge from the ornament. This example is

78

somewhat smaller however and has the new feature of a fine colonnade of four columns to match its façade. These are of late but Corinthian order. Three of the four are in situ. The pyramid is in excellent preservation, and the carving preserves its early Byzantine form in beautiful condition.

The other tomb is in the eastern part of the town. It is of simple columnar style - square with a quasi Doric column at each angle supporting the architrave. There is no basement the columns standing upon the ground level. Within is a huge sarcophagus and there is a tradition that a Roman breastplate was excavated here years ago. Upon the architrave is a Greek insc. (WKP no 248)