Arah; Rumkale; Hṙomklay; Qalʿat ar-Rūm; Qalʿā Rōmāytā Complete

Description

Arah – a village not registered in TIB 15 which, according to the itinerary of Henri Pognon, lies between Khalfati (see TIB 15, pp. 1652–1658 – a site to the east of the Euphrates near Roum-kaleh = Rumkale / Rōmaiōn kula]) and Narseït (also to the east of the Euphrates, c.40 km of Samosata). Our map shows the location of Rumkale. Little is known of this site. Pognon's survey revealed that the outskirts of Arah feature rock-cut tombs, and loose blocks of stone. He also saw foundations of a building, and fragments of a mosaic. One stone block, probably from an entablature, yielded a Syriac inscription. Pognon linked it with this ruined building. It is difficult to infer its nature – it might have been a tomb or a church. Literature: Pognon, H. 1907. Inscriptions sémitiques de la Syrie, de la Mésopotamie et de la région de Mossoul, Paris, no. 15.