Qasr Ibn Wardan

Qasr Ibn Wardan, about sixty kilometres north-east of Hama, is a Byzantine complex of the 560s, built under Justinian standing where the farmland runs out into steppe: a palace, a church and a barracks built in alternating bands of black basalt and pale brick, in the metropolitan style of Constantinople rather than anything local. The church's dome has fallen but its arches and pendentives stand, and the striped walls against the steppe light are among the most photographed Byzantine remains in Syria. It was almost certainly a statement building on a defended frontier.

What to look for

• The striped masonry - alternating basalt and brick bands.
• The church - arches and pendentives of the domed square.
• The palace - the residential block with its carved lintels.
• The steppe edge - farmland giving out into open country.

When to go

March to May and October to November are mild. Summer is hot. Low sun makes the striping vivid.

Good to know

It is a long drive for a compact site and there are no facilities. Access arrangements should be checked locally. Parts of the palace are roped or unstable.

Nearby

Hama is southwest, and Isriya is northeast in the steppe.

Key facts