DOURA-EUROPOS WEBSITE

The final abandonment of the site represents a real opportunity for knowledge of this period. An impressive amount of material evidence of life in Dura-Europos could be collected. The most famous are religious frescoes from the second century until the fall of the city.

As soon as the main door is crossed to the west, the visitor is captured by the immensity of the site and the importance of its defences. The door of Palmyra (entrance), which date the second century BC, consists of two upper two-storey strongholds with two classrooms each. It was reported between the top parts by a corridor.

On the left, 100 m from the entrance, you will notice the location of the synagogue. Rebuilt in the museum of Damascus, frescoes with human representation offer exceptional testimony of Jewish art in the middle of the th century. The frescoes, covering the entire building, illustrate episodes of the Old Testament, such as the Exodus, or show representations from Jerusalem and the temple of Solomon. The synagogue miraculously escaped because it had been covered with sand like the Christian Chapel to strengthen the west walls during the Persian attack.

The main axis, facing the door of Palmyra, runs towards the Euphrates (the function of each space is indicated from here by a sign). At the opposite of the synagogue lies the baths and, along the rampart, the uniquely identifiable location of a Christian chapel and the temple of Zeus Kyrios.

There was an astonishing diversity of cults in Dura. This shows the Mithraeum, the temple of Bêl (at the north-west corner of the city), and the temples of Artemis, Atargatis and Gaddé lying south of the agora. The latter, in the centre of the city, along the main street, was invaded by private homes and shops, built by the Parathians.

By moving towards the Euphrates, we reached a oued that runs parallel to the ruins of the first citadel, built by the Greeks and used as strategion.

Farther north, with beautiful escapement on the Euphrates, the headquarters of the Roman garrison are reached. The rest of the site is severely damaged, even if we recognize in places the straight line of the streets that were occupied by the city. The new citadel stands on the edge of the river. According to the latest studies, it would be the work of the Seleucids.

A beautiful walk leads to it.

On the edge of the cliff, an extraordinary view awaits the visitor: the Euphrates River Feeder, surrounded by long green ribbons. In the spring, this generous spectacle doubles from an air ballet of falcons and eaters. The guardian is also an amateur of the birds of prey.

Finally, take a look at the ramparts. The west and south speakers are the best preserved. They included square towers, 26 of which are still identifiable. The ramparts, which still reach 9 m high, probably date from the seleucid time, as well as the checkerboard plane.