DAYR SIM’AN, Syria: Near the base of a column atop which Saint Simeon Stylites once perched, scattered stones lay bare the damage inflicted on the surrounding Byzantine monastery in northern Syria by war, looting and rampant illegal excavations.
AFP accompanied a French archaeological delegation to inspect the site after more than a decade of conflict and assess what could be restored.
The fifth-century monastery and its church are, alongside hundreds of abandoned ancient villages in northern Syria known as the “dead” or “forgotten cities,” a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Holding her camera and notebook, archaeologist Micheline Kurdy walked through the ruins to document the site’s state and plan the first “quick interventions” to restore it, she told AFP.
“There is irreparable damage in the monastery in the southeastern section, but on the other hand the church is standing firm and in good condition,” the 42-year-old French-Syrian said.
