Qasr Al-Hallabat

Qasr al Hallabat
Qasr al Hallabat Location in Jordan
Coordinates:
Country	Jordan
Governorate	Zarqa Governorate
Time zone	UTC + 2

Qasr al Hallabat is a town in the Zarqa Governorate of north-western Jordan, north-east of the capital of Amman. The town is named after the Umayyad desert castle located there. To the east of the castle stands the associated bath house of Hammam as-Sarah.

Castle

The complex of Qasr al-Hallabat is located in Jordan's eastern desert. Originally a Roman fortress constructed under Emperor Caracalla to protect its inhabitants from Bedouin tribes, this site dates to the second and third century AD, although there is trace evidence of Nabatean presence at the site. 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). However, by the eighth century, the Umayyad caliph Hisham ibn Abd al-Malik ordered for the Roman 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.

Guided by the extant plan, he incorporated a mosque (found 15 meters from the southeast of the main structure), a complicated water system including five cisterns and a considerably large water reservoir, and a bathhouse. 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. While only a one-layered stone footprint of the agricultural structure is still standing, three wall sections of the mosque, including the mihrab in the southern wall, remain intact. The main palace is constructed of black basalt and limestone and has a square floor plan with towers at each corner. Grand in stature, the principal structures were further enhanced with decorative mosaics depicting an assortment of animals, detailed frescoes and highly crafted stucco carvings. The site remains to be completely restored.

Approximately 1400 meters east of the palace stand the remains of the mosque at Qusayr al-Hallabat. Small in scale, it measures 10.70 by 11.80 meters and is constructed of layered limestone. Inside, two arching riwaqs divide the mosque into three sections. A rounded molding extends the perimeter of the space at the height of 2.10 meters. Similar to Qusayr 'Amra and Hammam as-Sarah, three tunnel vaults support the roof of the structure. Encircling the mosque from the north, west, and east stood a 3.30-meter wide portico.

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.

• 

  mosque

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  entrance courtyard

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  floor mosaic

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  inscribed block

See also

• Desert castles
  • Qusayr 'Amra, about 85 km (53 mi) east of Amman, Jordan
  • Qasr al-Azraq, about 100 km (62 mi) east of Amman, Jordan
  • Qasr al-Hayr al-Gharbi, Syrian Desert
  • Qasr al-Hayr al-Sharqi, Syrian Desert
  • Hisham's Palace, in Arabic Qasr Hisham or Khirbet el-Mafjar on the West Bank near Jericho, Palestine
  • Qasr Kharana, about 65 km (40 mi) east of Amman, Jordan
  • Qasr al-Minya, on the Sea of Galilee, Israel
  • Qasr Mshatta, about 35 km (22 mi) southeast of Amman, Jordan, with a large part of the Mshatta Facade now in the Pergamon Museum in Berlin
  • Qasr Mushash or Qasr al-Muwaqqar, about 30 km (19 mi) south of Amman, Jordan
  • Qasr al-Qastal, about 25 km (16 mi) south of Amman, Jordan
  • Hammam as-Sarkh, about 55 km (34 mi) northeast of Amman, Jordan
  • Al-Sinnabra, on the Sea of Galilee, Israel
  • Qasr at-Tuba, about 95 km (59 mi) southeast of Amman, Jordan

External links

• Satellite map at Maplandia.com
• Search for Qasr al Hallabat in the MSN Encarta atlas
• Archnet entry for Qasr al Hallabat and Qasr as Sarah
• A history of the excavation of Qasr al Hallabat