Apamea

Afamia located at the crossroads between Aleppo scholar Latakia and Damascus,

following the village of Qala-strait today Epiphamia. But the world Thompson was

 able to tell us about the city and its architectural and historical characteristics.

Then the Belgian mission excavated since 1930 regularly in the streets of the

city two main continued until  1938 by  the management of Mayans and Lagost,

the Mission has been able to put a blueprint for the city where some of the remains

of the Roman and Byzantine periods.It was held in university halls of Louvain model

of the architecture afamia. Since 1965, re-exploration in afamia has been  and the

 still continues today under the chairmanship of the way that archaeological Belgian.

Afamia the name of acity of Syria founded by Sliqos Nikator and named his wife

Opamia, but its history back to the stone ages, the ancient pre-history, and the
 
1968excaration has been confirmed that at  the western part of the fence.

 These excavation helped us find some pieces dating back to the Neolithic period.

The geographical  Strabon: afamia was at the time of Seleucus Nikator impregnable
 
fortress holds a five hundred elephants,  the bulk of his army, and so did his successors

 after him.

Afamia's cheme is similar to chess, soak into the main street from north to south
 
along in 1850 and currently 37.5 m, has been erected on either side and on both

sides of the street, which intersects with the most important public buildings of the

 baths and palaces, temples and commercial markets, theaters, etc. It is worth

noting that the Afamia 's theater  is the largest theater in the Roman era, is believed

 to be due to the age Greyhound. 

The earthquakes that hit the region between 1157 -1 170 m destroyed afamia

 city completely . Several archaeological teams since the thirties of this century to

 the present day in conjunction with the Directorate General of Antiquities and

 Museums in the conduct of archaeological excavations, and have also undertaken

 the task of restoration of this critical location, as well as the establishment

 of a museum of mosaics and finds other archaeological, also it's khan has been

restored and turned into an important museum , besides the mill and the mosque 

 were renovated which upgrade to the Ottoman era, as well as was the construction

 of several columns in the main street in one of the houses the Byzantine

Empire. In a massive campaign was mobilized by the many mechanisms we detect

 more than five km from the city walls with towers of square shape. It was noted

 that the lower sections of these walls up to the Hellenistic era, with close to Khan

 at a distance of not more than hundred meters.

was surrounded of it's four sides by halls and spacious rooms,it's entrance  located

at it's rib North, it is awide entrance and on both sides two stony stands ,  surrounding

 the entrance of the side rooms on the right hand and North the opening at the

 courtyard of the Khan, the most important parts of the Khan by two long impressive

suites emanate from the chambers located on both sides the main entrance, are the

 eastern wing and the west wing. All khan's rooms and halls are built of stone and

roofed with large vaulted ceilingsn Brmelip form contracts carr  a semi-circular stone.

Except the point of intersection of the south suite of the West, it is covered by

 a vault cross, and there are in all kham's rooms  and suites alot of stoves,preceded

 by many minivan terraces broad pilgrims and travelers use it to sleep, and each group

 or family is  of one of these stoves, cooking for the entire duration of her stay,

and face these terraces in the the second open portholes each one viewed at the square .