Ain Dara, Afrin.
This site is in northern Syria. Administratively, its part of the Afrin District .
It's just north west of Aleppo.
I took a shared Taxi from my hotel.
Ain Dara is a Syro-Hittite temple noted for its similarities to Solomon's Temple (1000 - 900BC) in Jerusalem, which was described in the Hebrew Bible.
Ain Dara dates to around 1300BC to 740BC which puts it in the later part of the bronze age.
The site was discovered in 1955 . The site is on the summit of a small hill. As you walk to the top, you can see the layers of history....3000 years !
The Lion of Afrin
The massive basalt lion was one of the first things discovered in 1955
It's 3.3m tall. Its role was to guard the gateway to this special place.
Sadly, this lion is now gone.... probably smuggled across into Turkey.
Apparently, it was looted by a Turkism backed militia. (Al-Hamzat ) in Dec 2019.
"On December 20th [2019], the Turkish army and its mercenaries attacked Afrin with tanks,
artillery and jets causing massive destruction of the city....Recent footage of a military exercise by a pro-Turkish militia (National Liberation Front) who established a shooting range against the archaeological hill of Ain Dara in the occupied Afrin province invaded and controlled by Turkish forces and their proxy militias last year, revealed the tragic disappearance of the famous historical masterpiece known as The Lion of Afrin.
Ain Dara itself was targeted by Turkish jets in 2018 as Turkish units and their proxy forces advanced on the area known for its archaeological wealth that featured one of the world's oldest temples often compared in significance to the Temple of Solomon... The disappearance of the Lion of Afrin marks another war crime against Syrian history and humanity at large."
The other side was probably connected to a wall, or column, so was left plain.
Massive footprints were carved into the floor; whether of giants, humans or animals is debatable.
One pair of footprints can be found on the floor of the portico, followed by a single footprint.
There is also another single footprint at the threshold of the main hall.
The distance between the two single footprints is about 30 feet.
The implication being that a stride of 30 feet would belong to a giant (or ‘god’) about 65 feet tall.
Who was this temple dedicated to ???
Ain Dara may have been devoted to Ishtar, goddess of fertility,
or to the related female goddess Astarte.
The temple is rectangular in plan, about 65 feet wide by 98 feet long.
Built on a large raised platform, the temple consists essentially of three rooms:
a porch; an antechamber and a main hall
I understand that the pic above is of the God Hatnor (Hat'ter in Egypt)
The building was once covered with rows of basalt reliefs of sphinxes, lions,
mountain gods and large clawed creatures whose feet alone remain.
...
According to the Assad government, In late January 2018, the temple was significantly damaged by
Turkish Air Force jets in the course of their Afrin offensive.
Reports indicate that at least 60% percent of the structure was reduced to rubble.
From some photos and video released online, it seems that the entire front facade of the temple has been destroyed.
For more travel postcards click here:
* Syria
- Aleppo
- The Baron Hotel - Aleppo Syria
- Palmyra (the Roman City)
- Ugarit - Ancient ruins.
- National Museum of Damascus & army museum
- Tartus - Syria - seaside city
- A'en Darah - Ain Dara - Syria - Lion of Afrin
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