Aleppo, Feb. 3 (SANA) Qalaat Semaan, also known as the Church of St. Simeon Stylites, stands in the Aleppo countryside, northwestern Syria, as one of the region’s most significant early Christian monuments, reflecting centuries of religious, political and military change. In 2011, it was registered on the UNESCO World Heritage List.
Located near the town of Darat Izza, about 40 km northwest of Aleppo city, the site was originally built as a church between 476 and 490 A.D. during the reign of Byzantine Emperor Zeno. Constructed in the shape of a cross, the complex was centered around a column on which Saint Simeon Stylites lived as an ascetic, giving the site its name.
By the late fifth century, additional structures were built around the church, including a baptistery and living quarters for monks and scholars. The complex expanded further in the early sixth century, before a powerful earthquake between 526 and 528 A.D. caused extensive damage across Syria, including to the church itself.
After Arab Muslim forces took control of the region, the church and monastery remained under Christian stewardship, in line with practices of religious tolerance at the time. However, as central authority weakened, Byzantine forces later regained control of the site and fortified it, transforming it into a military stronghold that became known as Qalaat Semaan.
The fortress remained under Byzantine control for nearly a century, forming part of the frontier facing the Hamdanid Emirate of Aleppo. During that period, the church underwent restoration and was adorned with mosaics. Inscriptions found at the site attribute these works to Byzantine emperors Basil II and Constantine VIII.
Control of the fortress changed hands again in 986 A.D., when Hamdanid ruler Saad al-Dawla recaptured it after a brief siege. In 1017 A.D., Fatimid forces, who then controlled much of northern Syria, seized the site following prolonged fighting.
After losing its strategic value, Qalaat Semaan gradually fell into disuse and was later preserved as an archaeological site. According to the Aleppo Directorate of Antiquities, parts of the complex were damaged by shelling in 2019 during the war, including areas surrounding the column of Saint Simeon, whose remaining fragments were lost.
The directorate says it is working to stabilize the site and reopen it to visitors and religious pilgrims.
