“Long Vineyard” (Uzunbağ) Population: 4,100
The once romantically isolated remains of the Monastery of St Simeon are now buried inside a modern wind farm on top of Saman Dağı (479m), a hill in the Hatay that used to be called the Hill of Wonders. When I last visited in 2014 there were plans for development here. The latest update is that work started on a cafe etc but has since stopped, leaving the site in a neglected condition. I have no word on how the ruins – or the wind turbines – stood up to the earthquakes of 2023.
Backstory
St Simeon the Younger (521-97) was one of an extraordinary band of early Christians called stylites who believed that they could get closer to God by sitting on top of pillars for extended periods of time, much like the Indian sadhus who sit for years on end with one arm in the air (for example).
The most famous of these saints was St Simeon the Elder who sat on top of a pillar near Aleppo for an astounding 37 years. St Simeon the Younger topped this feat in the sixth century by sitting on top of the pillar here for an even more unbelievable 40 years.
Incredible though it seems now other stylite saints even set up home on pillars overlooking the Bosphorus in what is now Kuruçeşme.
Around the site
Inside the ruins you can still see the remains of the base of St Simeon’s column together with the bottom of a flight of steps which visitors could mount to speak to him. There are also remains of three churches built around the pillar. Yet at one time the monastery would have been huge, covering perhaps as much as 20,000sqm of ground. It continued to attract pilgrims until 1268 when it was destroyed by the Mamluk Sultan Baybars.
Sleeping
Antakya has the best choice of accommodation for visitors to the monastery.
Transport info
Get out of the Samandağ dolmuş from Antakya at Uzunbağ and either walk uphill the rest of the way (7km) or hire a taxi (you may only be able to do this from nearby Samandağ). Be sure to agree the fare for the return trip and waiting time first.
On a recent visit (May 2014) I was strongly warned against walking up or down to the site on my own. Whether or not there is a real threat the warnings left me feeling too nervous to continue alone.
