Ancient Syrian Villages Added to World Heritage Sites

When Emperor Justinian took control of the Roman Empire in 527 A.D., it marked the beginning of Byzantine Christian rule and the virtual demise of paganism. Today, reminders of this transitional moment can be seen in 40 ancient villages and towns in northwest Syria that are now called “dead cities” but during their heyday reflected rural life in late antiquity and life in the Byzantine era. The villages were added last month with 24 other locations to Unesco’s World Heritage sites. The towns and villages were set among limestone hills between the ancient Aleppo and Hama highway in the east and the Orontes River in the west.