The basilica of St Simeon is more interesting for its history than anything you'll actually see here. St Simeon was a 5th century shepherd who, after having a visionary dream, joined a monastery to suffer for Christ. But monastery life just wasn't hard enough for St Simeon, so he took to the hills, where he built himself a 3m (10ft) pillar to perch atop. For the next 36 years he built himself taller and taller pillars, eventually getting up to 15m (49ft). The saint chained himself by the neck to his pillar in case he fell off during the night, adding potential strangulation to his list of crosses to be borne. Pilgrims came from all over Europe and Asia in the hope of spotting a miracle, but mostly they saw an old guy ranting on top of a pillar.
In 1459 St Simeon kicked the bucket, and an enormous church was built around his pillar. The unique church had four basilicas arranged in the shape of a cross, each opening onto a central octagonal yard covered by a dome. When it was finished in 490, this was the largest church in the world. A monastery was also built, and a town sprang up to cater to the needs of pilgrims. The church is remarkably well preserved, but the pillar has deteriorated dramatically - it's really just a boulder on a platform. Qala'at Samaan is about 40km (25mi) west of Aleppo, and a microbus runs between the two.
Castels
St. Simon's Castle (Qala'at Sama'an)
Crac des Chevaliers
For once, a castle that's not just a pile of rubble on the ground. This fabulous Crusader castle looks almost exactly as it would have 800 years ago. Crac des Chevaliers, guarding the only major pass between Antakya in Turkey and Beirut in Lebanon, was built and expanded between 1150 and 1250 and eventually housed a garrison of 4000. The castle held out against several attacks, but was lost to Sultan Baibars in 1271.
The castle has two parts: an outside wall with 13 towers and an inside wall and keep. The two are separated by a moat, now full of stagnant water, which was used to fill the baths and water the horses. Walk through the main entrance, an imposing gate in the 5m (16ft) thick wall and past the towers which defended the castle, and you enter a courtyard. A corridor covered in delicate carvings leads to a large vaulted hall, where you can see an old oven, a well and some latrines. The chapel in the courtyard was converted to a mosque after Sultan Baibar took over, and you can still see its pulpit. The top floor of the Tower of the Daughter of the King is now a cafe with great views. It's possible to stay in the castle area, or you can make an easy day trip from Tartus or Hama.
Add this page to your favorite Social Bookmarking websites
