Qasr al-Hallabat

Qasr al-Hallabat قصر الحلابات
Rebuilt mosque (left) and qasr (right)
32°5′00″N 36°21′47″E / 32.08333°N 36.36306°E / 32.08333; 36.36306
Country	Jordan
Governorate	Zarqa Governorate
Time zone	UTC + 2

Qasr al-Hallabat (Arabic: قصر الحلابات) is an Umayyad desert castle, with the associated bath house of Hammam as-Sarah east of it. The nearby modern town, named after the castle, is part of the Zarqa Governorate of north-western Jordan, north-east of the capital of Amman.^[1]

History

The complex of Qasr al-Hallabat is located in Jordan's eastern desert.^[2] Originally a Roman structure constructed in the 2nd-3rd century AD to protect the eastern frontiers of the Roman Empire, although there is trace evidence of Nabatean presence at the site.^[2] It was one fort of many on the Roman highway, Via Nova Traiana, a route that connected Damascus to Aila (modern-day Aqaba) by way of Petra and Philadelphia (modern-day Amman).^[2]

In the 6th century, the fort was ceded to the Ghassanids as part of the foedus treaty with the Byzantine emperor Justinian. The Ghassanids significantly altered the structure and constructed a monastery.^[3]

By the 8th century, the Umayyad caliph Hisham ibn Abd al-Malik ordered the structures to be demolished in order to redevelop this military site and its neighboring territory to become one of the grandest of all Umayyad desert complexes.^[2]

Umayyad complex

Guided by the extant plan,^{[dubious – discuss]} Hisham incorporated a mosque (situated 15 meters southeast of the main structure), a complicated water system including five cisterns and a considerably large water reservoir, and a bathhouse.^[2] Furthermore, situated to the west of the palace remains an enclosed structure probably used for agricultural purposes such as cultivating olive trees and/or grapevines, of which only a one-layered stone footprint is still standing.^[2]

Qasr

The main palace is built of dark and light stone, basalt and limestone, and has a square floor plan with towers at each corner.^[2] Grand in stature, the principal structures were further enhanced with decorative mosaics depicting an assortment of animals, detailed frescoes and highly crafted stucco carvings.^[2] The site remains to be completely restored.^{[dubious – discuss][2]}

Mosque

Approximately some 14 meters southeast of the palace stand the remains of the mosque.^[2] Small in scale, it measures 10.70 by 11.80 meters and is constructed of layered limestone.^[2] Inside, two arching riwaqs^{[clarification needed]} divide the mosque into three sections.^[2] A rounded molding extends the perimeter of the space at the height of 2.10 meters.^[2] Similar to Qusayr 'Amra and Hammam as-Sarah, three barrel vaults support the roof of the structure. Encircling the mosque from the north, west, and east stood a 3.30-meter wide portico.^[2]

Of the mosque, three wall sections, including the mihrab in the southern wall, remained intact from the original structure.^[2] Recent reconstruction works have added back the collapsed^{[clarification needed]} elements.^{[citation needed]}

Gallery

• 
  Mosque (front view) after being largely rebuilt, Mihrab is visible in the interior back wall
• 
  Entrance courtyard
• 
  Mosaic floor at the castle
• 
  Greek inscription on basalt block in secondary use

Modern town

The nearby modern town of Qasr Al-Hallabat is a municipality consisting of four villages. The area is inhabited by the Bani Sakhr tribe, especially the Al-Othman family.

See also

• Desert castles
• Jordanian art
• Umayyad architecture

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Qasr Al-Hallabat.