Church of Saint Simeon Stylites كنيسة مار سمعان العمودي
Dead Cities, Syria UNESCO World Heritage Site
The Church of Saint Simeon Stylites is a Byzantine architecture site consisting of ruins, a church building, a martyrium, and a pilgrims' hostel. Located in the Aleppo Governorate, it is part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is one of the 15 most looked-up sights in Syria on English Wikipedia. Dedicated to Simeon Stylites, the site is part of the Dead Cities and the Crac des Chevaliers and Qal’at Salah El-Din.
Planning a visit
The site is 38 km from Aleppo International Airport and 318 km from Damascus. For weather, April, May, and October provide moderate temperatures with daily highs between 21 °C and 26 °C. The hottest months are July and August, which have daily highs of 35 °C and minimal rain, with only 1 mm to 2 mm recorded. The coolest and wettest months are January and December, which have daily highs of about 10 °C to 12 °C and approximately 86 mm to 88 mm of rain on about 10 to 13 days. March and November also have moderate temperatures, with highs between 16 °C and 17 °C.
The ruins cover an area of 37 km2 and are located in the Dead Cities. Nearby sights include the Citadel of Aleppo, Ancient Aleppo, the Great Mosque of Aleppo, and Al-Madina Souq, which are all situated approximately 31 or 32 km away. This site is also ranked as the 18th most looked-up sight of the country on this site.
Weather by month
The warmest month is August, with an average high of 35 °C. The wettest is January, with about 88 mm of rain.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average high, °C | 10 | 12 | 16 | 21 | 27 | 32 | 35 | 35 | 32 | 26 | 17 | 12 |
| Average low, °C | 1 | 2 | 5 | 9 | 13 | 17 | 20 | 20 | 17 | 13 | 7 | 3 |
| Rainfall, mm | 88 | 82 | 68 | 44 | 28 | 6 | 1 | 2 | 8 | 36 | 72 | 86 |
| Rainy days | 13 | 9 | 12 | 7 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 5 | 7 | 10 |
Temperatures and rainfall: 1981–2010 averages for this spot (4 km grid), from CHELSA. Rainy days: 2015–2024, NASA POWER.
