Ancient city discovered in Syria

[Al-khiyal]

Ancient city discovered in Syria

DAMASCUS, July 23, 2009 (KUNA) -- A joint Syrian-German excavation team has discovered an ancient city dating from the Roman era in Hama province, central Syria. "Al-Rafniya city which had been lost several centuries ago used to be one of the largest bases of the ancient Roman army in old Syria," Ibrahim Abbas, director of the local archeological department, told reporters here on Thursday. "The city, located in the Ba'rain area, is mentioned in several ancient references," he said, citing as evidence the inscriptions and carvings found by excavators. It exists on a three hectare area which is almost equal to the area of Afamia, another ancient city in Syria. The excavators used sophisticated surveying georadar devices to outline the real boundaries of the city, its main buildings, churches, marketplaces, streets and cemeteries, Abbas pointed out. He affirmed that the new discovery would add to the archeological importance of the area and shed light on significant chapters of Syria's old history.

[amalgamate]

oh mashallah, I think the next time i visit syria, i'll have these special places to sight see