al-Burayj

al-Brayj, Syria

The ruin known as al-Brayj (al-Breij) is located in northwest Syria on a southwest-facing slope of the Jebel Barisha at the western end of the plain of al-Dana, near the village of Sarmada. The site, which seems to rise out of the limestone outcroppings, is built into the slope itself. It once served as a monastery and is dated to the sixth century AD. Al-Brayj is among the ruins of villages and settlements known as the "Dead Cities," constructed along Syria's limestone massif between the first and seventh century AD and abandoned between the eighth and tenth centuries. 

The site includes a monastery dedicated to Saint Daniel as well as cisterns, oil presses and a tomb.

Sources:

Burns, Ross. Monuments of Syria: An Historical Guide, 68. London: I. B. Tauris, 1992.

Demeter, Daniel. "al-Breij." Syria Photo Guide: A Comprehensive Guide to the Cultural and Historic Sites of Syria. http://www.syriaphotoguide.com/home/al-breij (Accessed April 24, 2017).