Jebel Sem’an 3 Sinkhar and Jebel Wastani Kafr Aqareb

Waypoint introductions and full write-ups

1. 1. Jebel Sem’an 3 Sinkhar

   The limestone massif north-west of Aleppo, in Syria, is one of the most remarkable archaeological landscapes in the Middle East, but it has also been in a war zone for more than a decade, and travel there is not safe or practical. What follows is about what the place is, not an invitation to visit.

   Read the complete Jebel Sem’an 3 Sinkhar write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   Jebel Sem’an 3 Sinkhar is where the day begins. Next is Jebel Barisha Deirouné.

2. 2. Jebel Barisha Deirouné

   On the limestone ridge of Jebel Barisha, in north-west Syria near the Turkish border at Reyhanlı, lie the stone ruins of Deirouné, one of the hundreds of late Roman and Byzantine villages that UNESCO lists as the Ancient Villages of Northern Syria, often called the Dead Cities. Between roughly the first and seventh centuries, farmers here grew olives and vines on the uplands, prospered, and built houses, churches and olive presses in finely cut stone. When the trade networks that sustained them collapsed, the villages were slowly abandoned, and the dry climate left them remarkably intact.

   Read the complete Jebel Barisha Deirouné write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   Jebel Barisha Deirouné comes up about 34 km into the recorded legs. Next is Jebel Wastani Kafr Aqareb.

3. 3. Jebel Wastani Kafr Aqareb

   Along the limestone uplands of north-western Syria, close to the Turkish border, lie the remains of hundreds of abandoned villages from late antiquity, the so-called Dead Cities. Kafr Aqareb, on the Jebel Wastani, is one of them, part of the Ancient Villages of Northern Syria listed by UNESCO in 2011. These were prosperous farming communities between roughly the first and seventh centuries, growing olives, grapes and grain, and producing oil that was traded across the Roman and Byzantine world. They built in stone, with remarkable skill: houses, churches, bath houses, olive presses and tombs, many still standing to roof height. When trade routes shifted and the region changed hands, the villages were gradually abandoned, leaving ghost towns that look as if their inhabitants left only recently.

   Read the complete Jebel Wastani Kafr Aqareb write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   about 80 km into the recorded legs you reach Jebel Wastani Kafr Aqareb. Next is back through Jebel Barisha Deirouné.

4. 4. back through Jebel Barisha Deirouné

   Return visit. Read the place description above.

   Read the complete Jebel Barisha Deirouné write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   back through Jebel Barisha Deirouné, late in the day. Next is Jebel Sem’an 3 Sinkhar.

5. 5. Jebel Sem’an 3 Sinkhar

   Return visit. Read the place description above.

   Read the complete Jebel Sem’an 3 Sinkhar write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   Back at Jebel Sem’an 3 Sinkhar. That is the ride.