Profane historical buildings are far less likely to survive than religious ones, particularly in cities where space is in high demand. A case in point is Muawiya's al-Khadraa Palace formerly located south of the Omayyad Mosque and of which not a trace is left. Desert palaces on the other hand are luckier, at least as far as longevity is concerned. The remnants of Qasr al-Hary al-Gharbi represent a fine specimen of this group.
Located in the Syrian Steppe between Damascus and Palmyra, at 80 kilometers southwest of the latter, Qasr al-Hayr al-Gharbi has maintained vestiges of a vast complex of constructions including the palace itself, a caravansary, a mosque, and a bathhouse. A brick wall surrounds a rectangular garden 1050 meters in length x 422 meters in width that contains a water distributing system originally constructed under the Romans and restored by the Omayyad. it also hosts the remnants of a Byzantine monastery.
The palace is square-shaped 70 x 70 meters and made of two stories. Following the Syrian tradition, it is centered around a courtyard itself surrounded by colonnaded porticoes guarding the entrance to the living space. Rather than provide a lengthy description of the edifice I here include a photo of a three dimensional representation credited to the regretted Syrian archaeologist Dr. Abdul Kadir Rihawi and his book "Architecture in the Islamic Civilization" (Arabic).
An inscription in Kufic Script found at a door's lintel of a ruined caravansary and located 10 kilometers from the palace identifies Caliph Hisham as the founder. The text states:
"In the name of God the merciful and the compassionate. There is not but one God without associate. The elaboration of this work was ordered by the slave of God Hisham the Prince of the Faithful may God reward him. The work was done by Thabit in Rajab 109" corresponding to October or November 727 C.E.
The palace's main gate was transferred to the National Museum of Damascus in the 20th century where it was reassembled. The following two photos represent details of its ornamentation.
Located in the Syrian Steppe between Damascus and Palmyra, at 80 kilometers southwest of the latter, Qasr al-Hayr al-Gharbi has maintained vestiges of a vast complex of constructions including the palace itself, a caravansary, a mosque, and a bathhouse. A brick wall surrounds a rectangular garden 1050 meters in length x 422 meters in width that contains a water distributing system originally constructed under the Romans and restored by the Omayyad. it also hosts the remnants of a Byzantine monastery.
The palace is square-shaped 70 x 70 meters and made of two stories. Following the Syrian tradition, it is centered around a courtyard itself surrounded by colonnaded porticoes guarding the entrance to the living space. Rather than provide a lengthy description of the edifice I here include a photo of a three dimensional representation credited to the regretted Syrian archaeologist Dr. Abdul Kadir Rihawi and his book "Architecture in the Islamic Civilization" (Arabic).
An inscription in Kufic Script found at a door's lintel of a ruined caravansary and located 10 kilometers from the palace identifies Caliph Hisham as the founder. The text states:
"In the name of God the merciful and the compassionate. There is not but one God without associate. The elaboration of this work was ordered by the slave of God Hisham the Prince of the Faithful may God reward him. The work was done by Thabit in Rajab 109" corresponding to October or November 727 C.E.
The palace's main gate was transferred to the National Museum of Damascus in the 20th century where it was reassembled. The following two photos represent details of its ornamentation.
Gérard Degeorge
Syrie
Art, Histoire, Architecture
Hermann, éditeurs des sciences et des arts
1983
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