PLAN (above). The city was nearly half a mile across. It was defended by a double wall of sun-dried brick on a heavy stone foundation (ABC). The wall was strengthened with towers every 50 feet, entirely round the city, making one hundred towers in all. The castle of the kings of Samal occupied a hill in the middle (G), and the houses of the townsmen filled the space between the city walls and the castle (D,E, F). These houses built of sun-dried brick have disappeared, but the castle can be restored. RESTORATION OF THE CASTLE (H, Z,J, K, L, below). This is the castle, or citadel, marked C in the city plan (above).  The walls of sun-dried brick rest on heavy stone foundations widening at the base. Samal in north Syria, midway between the Mediterranean and the Euphrates (map, p. 102), received influences both from the Hittites in Asia Minor (§ 353) and from Egypt. The columned porches (K and L) in front of the palaces were built on a Hittite plan with columns suggested by Egyptian architecture. Hittite art in relief (Fig. 148) adorned this porch. The Assyrians adopted these Western innovations (Fig. 105).