Barisha

Barisha is a village containing the remains of an early Byzantine settlement within Syria's Dead Cities — a dense cluster of abandoned ancient towns in the northwestern hills collectively inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2011. The ruins date primarily from the 1st to 7th centuries CE and include remnants of modest stone dwellings alongside several olive presses, pointing to an agrarian economy built around oil production. The settlement was abandoned following the Arab conquest of the 7th century and remained largely unbuilt-upon since, which accounts for the unusual archaeological preservation. Visitors encounter an unadorned field of stone ruins set in a rolling olive-grove landscape, with minimal tourist infrastructure on site.