LATTAKIA, (SANA) – Excavations by the national archeological expedition in Nibal Peak site near the town of Jableh in Lattakia governorate uncovered a rectangular structure in the western area of the site.

Director of Jableh Archeology Department Ibrahim Younes Kheirbek said that the structure measures 26.5 meters from north to south and is 13.15 meters across, built with large stones and smaller, intricately-carved stones in the style of Roman temples.

He said that the structure consists of a front hallway with an entrance in the middle leading to a stairway in the center which leads to a platform in the northern section, adding that it probably dates back to the 3rd century AD.

The remains of a structure were also uncovered in the eastern area of the site, running 19 meters from north to south and 8.5 meters across, its walls consisting of large stones and ranging in thickness from 1 to 1.5 meters.

Excavations also uncovered the foundations of a structure built with large carved stones and measuring 7 by 5 meters. It was built lower than the other structures, its floor is covered by carved tiles, and it contained remains of columns, pottery fragments, Roman coins and a few Islamic-era coins.

Excavations around the perimeter of the site located the ruins of an ancient residential area around 1 kilometer east of the site, in addition to the ruins of a large structure likely to have been a Roman castle.

H. Sabbagh