Syrian Arab News Agency S A N A
Sweida, SANA – Shahba city in Sweida, 90 km south of the capital Damascus, is endowed with a
variety of archeological monuments that stand as witness to an ancient civilization.
What, however, stands as a special landmark in this ancient Roman city that was built by Emperor
Philip the Arab between 244 and 249 Ad, is Shahba Theater.
Located in a huge architectural compound at the center of the city, the theater is considered one
of the most important archaeological monuments in the city and a beautiful exemplar of small-
size historical theaters in Syria.
With a diameter of 24 meters, the theater was first unearthed by the second half of the 20th century. It has two parts; the first is for acting, while the second is for audience, according to Director of Sweida Antiquities Department Hussein Zein Eddin.
He told SANA that the acting part consists of a spacious separate stage with a straight facade covering the backstage standing behind it that has three entrances, the biggest of which
lies at its center.
The coulisse can be seen as a corridor extending along the stage, which has two entrances at its
both sides, Zein Eddin added.
The audience part, he explained, consists of two-story amphitheater heading southward that can be
reached through passages and hallways,noting that there are also seven entrances that
are consistent with the internal hallway and stairs.
Reem/H.Said
