Batuta

Batuta (باطوطة), is a village in northwestern Syria, located in the Jebel Sem’an region of the Dead Cities. The village was founded in the 4th century CE. By the 6th century, it had two churches and more than twelve other stone buildings. Batuta’s hilltop location, surrounded by other villages on the valley and hillsides, enabled it to serve as a center of roads across the Jebel Sem’an for the oil trade. In 2011, the village was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site as part of the Dead Cities.