Qanawat

Qanawat is an archaeological site and town in southern Syria’s As-Suwayda Governorate, known from antiquity as Canatha. The site preserves substantial Hellenistic, Roman and later remains including temple foundations, colonnaded streets and funerary architecture.

On site visitors encounter the visible remains of classical-period public buildings and temples along with tombs and stone reliefs; the ruins document the city’s role as a regional centre in antiquity and late antiquity. Many remains are large stone structures set in an open archaeological landscape.

Qanawat grew under Hellenistic and Roman rule and continued as an important urban centre into the Byzantine and early Islamic periods, leaving layered archaeological deposits that reflect successive cultures and administrations.

The ruins lie in southern Syria within As-Suwayda Governorate amid the volcanic and basaltic plateau landscapes of the region.

• Antiquity: Known in antiquity as Canatha, the site contains Hellenistic, Nabatean and Roman-period remains that illustrate its long occupation.

What to See #

• Roman and Byzantine ruins: Ruins of Roman and later temples and public buildings, including colonnaded streets and temple foundations observable in the archaeological area.
• Necropolis: Funerary monuments and tombs in the surrounding necropolis area that reflect the city's long classical-period occupation.