KirkBiza

Qirqbize was an early Byzantine settlement in northwest Syria [1]. The ruins are important for the history of early Christianity, as the remains of the earliest preserved house church after Dura-Europos from the beginning of the 4th century are located here [1]. The place was inhabited from the Roman period until at least the 7th century [1]. Howard Crosby Butler investigated the site in 1899, George Tchalenko conducted excavations in 1939 and until 1971 [1]. A rural house in Roman times (2nd century) had two rooms that were connected by a door and each had an access from the southern long side [1]. A portico supported by columns or pillars was built along this side [1].