Qasr al-Hallabat

Qasr al Hallabat
Toun
Qasr al Hallabat Location in Jordan
Coordinates: 32°4′N 36°22′E
Kintra	Jordan
Govrenorate	Amman Govrenorate
Time zone	UTC + 2

Qasr al Hallabat is a toun in the Amman Govrenorate o north-wastren Jordan. The toun is named efter the Umayyad castle locatit thare. An aa locatit in the toun is the Qasr Hammam As Sarah. It is locaedt north-east o the caipital o Amman.

Castle

The complex o Qasr al-Hallabat is locatit in Jordan's eastren desert. Oreeginally a Roman fortress biggit unner Emperor Caracalla tae pertect its indwallers frae Bedouin tribes, this site dates oe the seicont an third century AD, awtho thare is trace evidence o Nabatean presence at the site. It wis ane o mony on the Roman hghway, Via Nova Traiana, a route that connected Damascus tae Aqaba bi wey o Petra an Amman. Howsomever,, bi the aicht century, the Umayyad Hisham ibn Abd al-Malik ordered for the Roman structures tae be demolished in order tae redevelop this military site an its neighboring territory tae acome ane o the grandest o aw Umayyad desert complexes.

Guided bi the extant plan, he incorporated a mosque (foond 15 meters frae the southeast o the main structur), a complicated watter seestem includin five cisterns an a considerably lairge watter reservoir, an a bathhouse. Furthermair, situated tae the wast o the palace remains an enclosed structur probably uised for agricultural purposes sic as cultivating olive trees an/or grapevines. While an earlier ane-layered ofuitprint o the agricultural structur still stands the day, three wall sections o the mosque, includin the mihrab in the southren wall, remain intact. The main palace is biggit o black basalt an limestone an haes a square floorplan wi touers at each corner. Grand in stature, the principal structures war faur enhanced wi decorative mosaics depicting an assortment o ainimals, detailed frescoes an heichly crafted stucco carvings. The site remains tae be completely restored.

Approximately 1400 meters east o the palace stands the remains o the mosque at Qusayr al-Hallabat. Small in scale, it measures 10.70 bi 11.80 meters an is biggit o layered limestone. Inside, twa arching rocks divide the mosque intae three sections. A roondit mauldin extends the perimeter o the space at the heicht o 2.10 meters. Similar tae Qusayr 'Amra an Qasr Hammam as Sarah, three tunnel vaults support the ruif o the structur. Encircling the mosque frae the north, wast, an east stood a 3.30-meter wide portico.

• 
  mosque
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  entrance courtyard
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  floor mosaic
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  inscribed block

Freemit airtins

• Satellite map at Maplandia.com
• Search for Qasr al Hallabat in the MSN Encarta atlas Archived 2008-04-21 at the Wayback Machine
• Archnet entry for Qasr al Hallabat and Qasr as Sarah Archived 2010-11-20 at the Wayback Machine
• A history of the excavation of Qasr al Hallabat Archived 2010-01-03 at the Wayback Machine