Qalb Lozeh, or ’The Heart of the Almond’ in Arabic, is one of only a few Druze enclaves that has survived in the Ala mountains since the tenth century, far from the main Druze population center in the south near Suweida. The village’s major attraction, however, is its Byzantine Basilica, built around 460 A.D., the first example of the Syrian model built on a monumental scale. With architectural features such as broad aisles, sophisticated decoration, a dramatic arched entrance, and flanking towers, the Basilica is a direct precursor to the Romanesque-era churches of Europe.