As Suwayda National Museum: Preserving the Heritage of Southern Syria
Site at a Glance
- Rating
- 4.7
- Popularity
- Very Low
- Country
- Syria
- Primary era
- Classical
- Eras represented
- Bronze Age, Classical, Medieval
- Civilizations
- Ayyubid, Byzantine, Mamluk, Nabataean, Roman, Umayyad
- Site type
- Museum
On this page22 sections
History
As Suwayda National Museum is a historical museum in Suwayda, Syria, established in its present building in 1990 to preserve and present the heritage of the surrounding basalt-rich volcanic region. Its collections span prehistoric, Nabataean, Roman, Byzantine, early Islamic, Umayyad, Ayyubid, and Mamluk periods, as well as the traditional culture of Jabal al-Arab, a volcanic upland also known as Jabal al-Druze.
Origins and growth of the collection
The museum began as an open-air collection between 1923 and 1925 on the southern side of the government building in Suwayda. At first it contained relatively few objects, but archaeological discoveries and donations from residents of Jabal al-Arab steadily enlarged the collection, particularly through the addition of basalt sculptures.
During the French Mandate, the collection was transferred to a 27-by-13-metre cinema hall adjoining the northern side of the government building. The growing number of objects, together with the discovery of important mosaics at Shahba, made a dedicated museum space necessary for their transfer and preservation. French museum guides were issued between 1934 and 1944, followed by Arabic and French guides in 1990 and 1991.
Suwayda through successive periods
In the Nabataean period, Suwayda was known as a “black city,” a name associated with its volcanic landscape and dark stone. In the Greek and Roman periods, it was called Dionysias after Dionysus, the Greek god of wine and festivity. The city was associated with wine production and an annual festival held in August in the deity’s honor. During the Byzantine period, when the eastern Roman Empire was predominantly Christian, Suwayda became an important Christian pilgrimage center.
The museum’s chronological range follows these changing traditions and political periods. Its displays bring together evidence for regional life, religious practice, artistic production, burial customs, and Islamic rule under the Umayyads, Ayyubids, and Mamluks.
The present museum
The current museum building was established in 1990 under President Hafez al-Assad and inaugurated with the participation of Culture Minister Najah al-Attar during an international symposium on the history and archaeology of Suwayda Governorate. The institution forms part of Syria’s historic museum network and preserves archaeological heritage from the region. Its surrounding garden has also been developed as a complementary open-air museum for basalt sculpture, with soil renewal, new planting, and improved lighting.
Remains
The museum occupies a 5,200-square-metre property. Its building has a basement and two floors, with a total area of 4,650 square metres, while the surrounding garden covers 3,650 square metres. Local black basalt clads the exterior, linking the building’s appearance to the volcanic geology of southern Syria. A fiberglass dome over the central hall admits natural light, and the garden extends the display area outdoors with additional basalt sculptures.
Entrance and prehistoric displays
Entrance vestibule
The entrance vestibule is arranged as an Arab guest room, furnished with rugs and cushions. This setting introduces the museum’s movement between archaeological collections and the cultural traditions of Jabal al-Arab.
Prehistoric hall
The first exhibition hall presents prehistoric material, including finds from an archaeological site in the region, a stone object from a volcanic context associated with animal bones, and Early Bronze Age household pottery from Dhibin.
Nabataean and Roman collections
Regional life and local art
The first floor contains sections on regional geography, prehistory, economic life, villages, Nabataean Arabs, and local art. The Nabataeans were an ancient Arab kingdom whose territory included parts of modern Syria, Jordan, and the wider Levant. Basalt architectural sculptures from houses include decorated door elements carved with branches and grape clusters. Other sculptures represent people carrying out occupations practiced in the region during the Nabataean and Roman periods.
Objects and religious sculpture
Display cases contain pottery, lamps, and basalt carvings of human faces, horses, eagles, and plant forms associated with local beliefs and mythology. The central domed hall contains basalt statues of deities from the Nabataean and Roman periods, including a winged goddess of victory, Athena, Hercules, Jupiter Amun, and Helios. Jupiter Amun combines the Roman god Jupiter with the Egyptian god Amun, while Helios personifies the sun.
Athena and the female basalt head
A basalt head of a woman has long, abundant hair resembling snakes, with slight damage and breakage to the face and hair. A stone statue of Athena shows the goddess in a transparent garment beneath a cloak and carrying armor. A gorgon, a frightening female figure traditionally shown with serpent-like hair, decorates her chest, while the garment is fastened with a Heracles knot, a decorative motif associated with the Greek hero Heracles.
Shahba mosaics and ancient imagery
Birth of Venus
One mosaic panel from Shahba, the city known in antiquity as Philippopolis, dates to the third century AD and measures 324 by 319 centimetres. It depicts the birth of Venus. The goddess is carried on a sea shell beneath a billowing headdress associated with Zephyrus, while two cupids hold its edge. Mythological creatures with human bodies, fish tails, and claw-like horns resembling those of crabs raise the shell. Venus looks at her reflection in a mirror and has strong features and black hair.
Thetis and the sailors
A second Shahba mosaic, also from the third century AD, measures 232 by 184 centimetres. It shows Thetis, a sea deity in Greek mythology, together with terrifying sailors. Thetis appears as a woman with marine attributes, including a boat oar and a sea creature, within a round medallion. Four winged children riding mythological animals occupy the corners of the panel.
Roman, Byzantine, and funerary remains
Architectural and Christian material
The Roman and Byzantine sections include basalt sculptures and architectural decoration. The material includes cross-decorated pieces, column capitals and bases, altar bases associated with sheep sacrifice, and baptismal fonts. A baptismal font, a basin used in the Christian rite of baptism, was found in the Church of Suwayda. A mosaic with much of its imagery missing depicts the monk Sergius.
Funerary sculpture and inscriptions
The funerary-sculpture section contains funerary types with Greek inscriptions and grave stelae. Nearby inscriptions are written in Greek, Nabataean, Safaitic, and other languages. Their subjects include prayers, dedications, and funerary or commemorative texts. Safaitic is an ancient North Arabian inscriptional script and language.
Islamic and modern cultural collections
Islamic-period material
The Islamic section contains pottery jars, Arabic inscriptions in Kufic script, and three display cases of Umayyad gold and bronze coins. Kufic is an early angular form of Arabic writing used for monumental inscriptions and early Islamic manuscripts. The section also includes pottery from the early Islamic, Ayyubid, and Mamluk periods.
Folk traditions of Jabal al-Arab
The second floor contains a folk-traditions hall devoted to the customs of Jabal al-Arab. Displays include men’s and women’s clothing, inlaid chests, loom weaving, bread-making equipment, and household implements such as a large serving dish, a ladle, and a vessel for clarified butter. Agricultural objects include a plough and its equipment, a writing or study board with associated implements, a sieve, and a harvest sickle. Artworks depicting these activities accompany the material objects.
Research and conservation spaces
The basement contains archaeological storage rooms, a central-heating system, an exhibition hall, a lecture hall, study and restoration rooms, workshops for different archaeological-restoration trades, and a garage. Together with the exhibition floors and the basalt-sculpture garden, these spaces support the museum’s role in preserving and interpreting the archaeology and traditional culture of Suwayda Governorate.
