Deir al-Salib
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Deir al-Salib دير الصليب Deir al-Sleib |
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|---|---|
| Village | |
 Deir al-Salib
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| Coordinates: 35°05′10″N 36°26′50″E / 35.086133°N 36.447229°ECoordinates: 35°05′10″N 36°26′50″E / 35.086133°N 36.447229°E | |
| Country |
 Syria
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| Governorate | Hama |
| District | Masyaf |
| Subdistrict | Masyaf |
| Population (2004) | |
| • Total | 2,946 |
| Time zone | EET (UTC+2) |
| • Summer (DST) | EEST (UTC+3) |
Deir al-Salib (Arabic: دير الصليب, also spelled Deir al-Sleib or Deir al-Suleib) is a village in northern Syria, administratively part of the Hama Governorate, located 37 kilometers west of Hama. Nearby localities include Bil'in to the southeast, al-Rabiaa to the east, Asilah to the northeast, Jubb Ramlah to the north, al-Laqbah and Deir Mama to the northwest, Masyaf to the west, al-Suwaydah to the southwest and Baarin and Aqrab to the south. According to the Syria Central Bureau of Statistics, Deir al-Salib had a population of 2,946 in the 2004 census. Its inhabitants are predominantly Alawites and Greek Orthodox Christians.
In the early 19th-century the Ottoman governor of Damascus, Abdullah Pasha al-Azm, granted the leaseholds of Deir al-Salib and its satellite farms to a close associate of his, Muhammad Gharib Bey al-Azm.
Just outside Deir al-Salib is a 5th-6th century Byzantine-era church surrounded by fig trees. It is built in the architectural style typical of the Justinian period in Syria, with its two chapels. Its stone walls have a beige and ochre color. At the right of the entrance is a baptistery which still contains a cross-shaped baptismal. The narthex of the church is preceded by a central atrium and five columns demarcate its aisles. The apse is semi-circular and on the ground floor stands a gallery reserved for women. A small mausoleum containing three sarcophagi is situated at the side of the baptistery. The sarcophagi had engraved medallions that fitted crosses.
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