Butler Diary: Northern and Central Syria IV, 1900

Kefr Anbil

illustration, window

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Kefr Anbil

This ancient site is occupied by a modern village built almost entirely of old material. Very little can be found of ancient work in situ - two houses comprise about all the original walls that can be found.

In a two story wall near the north of the village are two coupled windows in the second story. The wall of the lower story is quite plain but the windows referred to above are quite large, roundarched and divided by a well-proportioned columnette. Another wall in the western part of the village preserves a row of three 2 story windows of the form shown on the opposite page. The simple plate of tracery is of interest in these windows These two examples of windows belonged to private houses. Near the wall with the row of windows is an ancient doorway with windows on either side - The ornament here is simple but fine and somewhat more classic than much of that in this region. Mr. Prentice copied an inscription on a richly sculptured lintel in a style almost Byzantine.

Khirbet Ḥâṣṣ

plan, church

Scale .50cm = 1m.

Khirbet Ḥâṣṣ March 23, 1900

These extensive ruins comprise a fine group of large private residences which de Vogüé calls villas, a large church much ruined and a large building of irregular plan at a short distance from the town. There are almost no small structures. The town seems to have been only a place of residence for the wealthy. All the buildings seem to belong to about the same epoch as all are built in one style - a fine example of decorated quadrated.

Church. The church stands on the northern side of the town. It is of the simple plan common in the district, with the curve of the apse concealed. This much ruined but all the parts are to be found in the debris. (see plan on opp. page) - The ornament is of high order with rich Corinthian caps ^(see photo)^, and finely moulded arches. The columns are monolithic as are the engaged columns which flanked the arch of the apse. Just before the apse are fragments of a fine mosaic that occupied the space before the altar. This design

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was a rich pattern of borders and squares in various colors about a central oblong space occupied by the four peacocks, in rich colors, standing back to back with tails crossed.

The extreme width of the peacock space is four m by 60 cm depth. The technique of the mosaic is of the finest, the colors are varied and soft.

To the south of the church is a cloister court bounded on the east by a large baptistry and other chapels and on the south and west by a massive wall built of ancient pagan grave stele. This of older material at so early a period is very interesting. De Vogüé claims to have seen the remains of a pagan temple in or beneath the church but we were unable to find any. Before the western portal of the church was a commodious enclosed narthex extending the entire width of the building.

At the other end of the town is a complex building with three divisions - those on either side are like small chapels with grouped windows in the east wall and that between with a story below the