Scars of war linger on Syria's Saint Simeon monastery

AI Summary

Syria's Saint Simeon monastery suffers damage from war, looting, and illegal excavations, as noted by site director Abdel Jalil Arabi. The historic site has endured military use and neglect amid ongoing conflicts in northern Syria.

Near the base of a column atop which Saint Simeon Stylites once perched, scattered stones lay bare the damage inflicted on the surrounding Byzantine monastery in northern Syria by war, looting and rampant illegal excavations. The Saint Simeon monastery itself was subjected to "looting, illegal excavation, military use and neglect", according to site director Abdel Jalil Arabi.