Jebel Zawiyé 1 Ba’uda and Jebel Wastani Kafr Aqareb

Waypoint introductions and full write-ups

1. 1. Jebel Zawiyé 1 Ba’uda

   On the limestone uplands of the Jebel Zawiya in north-western Syria, among olive groves and stony fields, stand the remains of villages abandoned more than a thousand years ago. They are part of the Ancient Villages of Northern Syria, often called the Dead Cities, inscribed as a World Heritage Site in 2011. Ba'uda is one of these sites, with houses, churches, tombs and presses built of finely cut stone between the first and seventh centuries, when the region grew rich on olive oil.

   Read the complete Jebel Zawiyé 1 Ba’uda write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

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

   Planning note

   Jebel Zawiyé 1 Ba’uda is where the day begins. Next is Jebel Zawiyé 2 Rouweiha.

2. 2. Jebel Zawiyé 2 Rouweiha

   Scattered across the limestone hills of north-western Syria, between Aleppo and Idlib, lie hundreds of abandoned villages from late antiquity, built of finely cut stone between the first and seventh centuries and then gradually deserted. They are known as the Dead Cities, and together they form the World Heritage site of the Ancient Villages of Northern Syria. Ruweiha, in the Jebel Zawiye, is one of the largest: houses, churches, tombs and oil presses spread over a wide area, and among them the church of Bizzos, named after a local notable whose domed tomb stands beside it, is one of the best preserved. These villages grew rich on olive oil and trade, and their stone architecture, with arched doorways, carved lintels and crosses, is remarkably intact.

   Read the complete Jebel Zawiyé 2 Rouweiha write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

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

   Planning note

   Jebel Zawiyé 2 Rouweiha comes up about 28 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 106 km into the recorded legs you reach Jebel Wastani Kafr Aqareb. Next is back through Jebel Zawiyé 2 Rouweiha.

4. 4. back through Jebel Zawiyé 2 Rouweiha

   Return visit. Read the place description above.

   Read the complete Jebel Zawiyé 2 Rouweiha write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

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

   Planning note

   back through Jebel Zawiyé 2 Rouweiha, late in the day. Next is Jebel Zawiyé 1 Ba’uda.

5. 5. Jebel Zawiyé 1 Ba’uda

   Return visit. Read the place description above.

   Read the complete Jebel Zawiyé 1 Ba’uda write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

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

   Planning note

   Back at Jebel Zawiyé 1 Ba’uda. That is the ride.