Hass ( ar, حَاسٌّ, Ḥāss) is a town in northwestern Syria, administratively part of the

Ma'arrat al-Numan District Maarat al-Numaan District ( ar-at, منطقة معرة النعمان, mantiqah, manṭiqat Maʿarrat al-Nuʿmān) is a Districts of Syria, district of the Idlib Governorate in northwestern Syria. The administrative centre is the city of Maarat al ...

of the Idlib Governorate. The town has an altitude of 630 meters above sea level. According to the Syria Central Bureau of Statistics, Hass had a population of 9,595 in the 2004 census.General Census of Population and Housing 2004
. Syria Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS). Idlib Governorate. Its inhabitants are predominantly Sunni Muslims.Boulanger, 1966, p. 413. Nearby localities include

Kafr Nabl Kafr Nabl ( ar, كَفْرنَبِل, Kafr Nabil, also spelled Kafranbel or Kafr Nabil) is a town administratively belonging to the Idlib Governorate and Ma'arrat al-Numan District in northwestern Syria. It is situated above sea level. In the 20 ...

to the west, Hish to the south,

Kafr Ruma Kafr Rumah ( ar, كفر ومة, also spelled ''Kafrumah'' or ''Kfar Ruma'') is a town in northwestern Syria, administratively part of the Maarrat al-Nu'man District of the Idlib Governorate. According to the Syria Central Bureau of Statistics, Kaf ...

and

Maarrat al-Numan Maarat al-Numan ( ar, مَعَرَّةُ النُّعْمَانِ, Maʿarrat an-Nuʿmān), also known as al-Ma'arra, is a city in northwestern Syria, south of Idlib and north of Hama, with a population of about 58,008 before the Civil War (2004 ...

to the east, and al-Bara to the north. Hass is well known for its olive groves, and is surrounded by historical sites, including some of the most important

Dead Cities The Dead Cities ( ar, المدن الميتة) or Forgotten Cities ( ar, المدن المنسية) are a group of 700 abandoned settlements in northwest Syria between Aleppo and Idlib. Around 40 villages grouped in eight archaeological parks sit ...

, such as

Serjilla Serjilla ( ar, سيرجيلة) is one of the best preserved of the Dead Cities in northwestern Syria, containing about 700 sites. It is located in the Jebel Riha, approximately 65 km north from Hama and 80 km southwest from Aleppo, ve ...

, Shanshrah, and al-Bara and

Archaeology

Hass itself contains a medieval-era

mosque A mosque (; from ar, مَسْجِد, masjid, ; literally "place of ritual prostration"), also called masjid, is a place of prayer for Muslims. Mosques are usually covered buildings, but can be any place where prayers ( sujud) are performed, ...

and ruins. It is also immediately northwest of the site of a 6th-century CE

Byzantine The Byzantine Empire, also referred to as the Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantium, was the continuation of the Roman Empire primarily in its eastern provinces during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, when its capital city was Constantinopl ...

tomb. The tomb consists of two levels with a pyramid-shaped roof and is held up by

Corinthian Corinthian or Corinthians may refer to: *Several Pauline epistles, books of the New Testament of the Bible: **First Epistle to the Corinthians **Second Epistle to the Corinthians **Third Epistle to the Corinthians (Orthodox) *A demonym relating to ...

columns. Hass is also near the site of an ancient dead city, known today as Khirbet Hass. The site contains the scattered ruins of six

Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

and Byzantine-era churches and a large municipal hall with a rectangular courtyard with borders made of

Doric Doric may refer to: * Doric, of or relating to the Dorians of ancient Greece ** Doric Greek, the dialects of the Dorians * Doric order, a style of ancient Greek architecture * Doric mode, a synonym of Dorian mode * Doric dialect (Scotland) * Doric ...

columns. Among the churches, is one that measured 65 ft by 43.5 ft (its

nave The nave () is the central part of a church, stretching from the (normally western) main entrance or rear wall, to the transepts, or in a church without transepts, to the chancel. When a church contains side aisles, as in a basilica-type ...

making up nearly half of the width). The church floor was marked by a

mosaic A mosaic is a pattern or image made of small regular or irregular pieces of colored stone, glass or ceramic, held in place by plaster/mortar, and covering a surface. Mosaics are often used as floor and wall decoration, and were particularly pop ...

depicting

peacock Peafowl is a common name for three bird species in the genera '' Pavo'' and '' Afropavo'' within the tribe Pavonini of the family Phasianidae, the pheasants and their allies. Male peafowl are referred to as peacocks, and female peafowl are r ...

References

Bibliography

* {{Idlib Governorate, maara Populated places in Maarat al-Numan District Archaeological sites in Idlib Governorate Populated places in Jabal Zawiya