Izra'
Government
Izra ' (Arabic إزرع, DMG Izra ʿ ) is a small town in the province of Daraa in the south of Syria with a large Christian population, the country is mainly known by the St. George's Church, one of the best preserved Byzantine churches in the country.
Location
Izra ' is 600 meters high, about 80 kilometers south of Damascus, 3 kilometers east of the highway that reaches the Jordanian border after a further 37 kilometers. The town has about 15,000 inhabitants. The nearest major town Daraa is located 30 kilometers to the south. On the western edge of town is a station of the Hedjaz Railway.
In the east, the area borders on a typical for the südsyrische volcanic landscape of the Hauran flat hilly area, its red-brown soils are heavily infiltrated by basaltic rocks. Here the olive trees are planted between stonewalls. After the rest of the compass extends open flat land that is suitable for large-scale field cultivation of grain.
Cityscape
Since the Roman city founded in the 20th century, all the buildings were built of black basalt. The northern part of the village is mostly inhabited by Christians Old Town. Here a few, traditionally built massive houses are still standing. High stone walls intensively managed home gardens, narrow streets between them suggest the former village structure. There are two churches from the 6th century obtained, which are used for church services, but there are three more new churches.
The larger residential and commercial center consists of the customary two-to three-storey streets. At the northwestern outskirts of the village is overlooked a large cement plant. The high military presence in the city comes from barracks in the area.
St. George's Church
The Greek Orthodox Basilica of Saint George ( Kineeset Mar Jirjis ) is the best preserved church in southern Syria. It is dated to the year 515, and stands on the site of an earlier Roman temple, of which there are no residues. This is evident from an inscription on the lintel of the western entrance. The victory of the martyr George over the dragon becomes the symbol of triumph over the pagan gods.
From the outside you can see a rectangular structure with a carefully assembled basalt blocks, represents the single wall structure on three sides of a framed with a Sims arched window above the door. On the east side of the choir is enhanced by an attached, outside trapezoidal apse. Less of the choir remains for the church a square base, into which a octagon was inscribed, where the four corners are filled with niches. Through an inner octagon, formed of angular pillars, creating a central domed room with an outer handling. The dome spans measured on the diagonal between the eight pillars of 10.2 meters, the entire interior is measuring 18.7 meters. Instead of today's top window band and in 1910 placed at a restoration ogival dome of a wooden structure is likely to have been had Tambour originally a massive dome. This showed remnants of pendentives, which were evident between the arches of the octagon.
Behind the iconostasis in the east, closing a wide arched opening is a rectangular room, which is flanked by two rectangular side rooms. The subsequent horseshoe-shaped apse has a synthronon ( priests Bank) on the outer wall.
George Church as a pilgrimage destination
The apse behind the altar houses the place of worship of a famous fertility saint, al - Khidr (also al - Hadir, DMG al - HADR, " the Green " ) and called the St. George ( Mar Girgis Arabic ) is equated. This saint is also revered by Sunni Muslims; the church is for them to Qubba. In Islamic mythology al - Khidr can be once the pre-Islamic, Syrian fertility god Adonis lead back, but also to the biblical George and the prophet Elijah. The attribute fertility was preserved, it shows up on behalf Hadir, the " green" or "green seed " means.
The Holy grave ( ḍarīḥ, pl. Ḍarā'iḥ ) consists of a base made aufeinandergetürmten stone blocks. Then there is a wooden box whose lid is made of a glass plate that is a victim box for cash donations ( ṣandūq ). To that box of fabric are wound and images of Saint George erected. At one end there are some bottles containing holy oil. On the walls of the room numerous pictures are leaning that can be taken by the pilgrims when they donate for a brought along, the same big picture. So that you leave a part of themselves back in exchange for an item that comes from the environment of the saints, and with power of blessing ( baraka ) is charged. Of the believers are not believed to actually reside in this place the remains of Saint George, but only the spirit or soul ( ruh, plural Arwah ). Muslims and Christians alike have access to the grave space, the differences in religious practice be maintained: Muslims do not draw upon entering their shoes, Christian.
Traditionally, or have been completed on the outside of the enclosure and also in the church sacrifice. A gully around the altar with an expiration took on the blood of the slain sheep or goats in the past. The at least not outside the Church held sacrificial rituals are mostly carried out by Muslims.
Elias Church
About 200 meters away is surrounded closely by residential buildings, the Greek-Catholic Church of Elijah the Prophet in the year 542, the almost square ground plan was laterally by two rectangular extensions and expands a wide sweeping semi-circular apse in the east to form a cross shape. There was a lower dome at the site of today's wooden dome with high windows in the tambour zone. Also new is a flat roof, replacing the former wooden structure, and a bell tower.