Displaced Syrians live in ancient ruins
Dozens of people have found shelter amid the cluster of lichen-covered ruins outside of Kafer Rouma, which are part of some 700 such ancient settlements that dot northwest Syria. The ancient buildings - usually houses, churches and baths - date from the 1st to the 7th century AD and were abandoned afterward as trade routes changed.
Some two million people have fled Syria since the country's uprising against President Bashar Assad erupted in March 2011, according to the United Nations. Over that time, more than four million Syrians have been internally displaced within the country.
The villagers moved their property from their old houses to the new ones. They brought with them what they could carry - pots and pans, stoves, torches, plastic tarps. Children scamper among the household goods and ancient stones.
The Syrian army has shelled the ruins from time to time, although no one was killed in the bombardment.
"We never thought we'd have to live with our families in old ruins and caves just to be safe," said one villager, Youssef Ismail.
