Dumeir
Encyclopedia
Dumeir, also Dumair and Dumayr is a city located 40 kilometers north-east of Damascus
, Syria
.
Philip the Arab
. However, there is an earlier reference to the building in a law suit in 216. An altar dedicated to the Semitic deity, Baal Shamin in 94 AD, now in the Institut du Monde Arabe in Paris, indicates that a Nabatean religious building previously stood on the site.
The shape is highly unusual, and construction may have commenced as a public fountain or staging post, but in its final form it is clearly a temple. It was fortified in the Arab period, the arch on the rear wall being filled in with stones and defensive devices.
The temple has been restored as the result of much research and reconstruction work.
Damascus
Damascus , commonly known in Syria as Al Sham , and as the City of Jasmine , is the capital and the second largest city of Syria after Aleppo, both are part of the country's 14 governorates. In addition to being one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world, Damascus is a major...
, Syria
Syria
Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest....
.
Archaeology
The Roman Temple of Dumeir lies in the center of the old town. It was dedicated to Zeus Hypsistos in 245 AD in the reign of the Roman EmperorRoman Emperor
The Roman emperor was the ruler of the Roman State during the imperial period . The Romans had no single term for the office although at any given time, a given title was associated with the emperor...
Philip the Arab
Philip the Arab
Philip the Arab , also known as Philip or Philippus Arabs, was Roman Emperor from 244 to 249. He came from Syria, and rose to become a major figure in the Roman Empire. He achieved power after the death of Gordian III, quickly negotiating peace with the Sassanid Empire...
. However, there is an earlier reference to the building in a law suit in 216. An altar dedicated to the Semitic deity, Baal Shamin in 94 AD, now in the Institut du Monde Arabe in Paris, indicates that a Nabatean religious building previously stood on the site.
The shape is highly unusual, and construction may have commenced as a public fountain or staging post, but in its final form it is clearly a temple. It was fortified in the Arab period, the arch on the rear wall being filled in with stones and defensive devices.
The temple has been restored as the result of much research and reconstruction work.