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 Muʿāwīā's palace, al-H̱aḍrāʾ, south of the ʾUmayyād Mosque, 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 Qaṣr al-Ḥayr al-Ġarbī represent a fine specimen of this group.
Located in the Syrian Steppe between Damascus and Palmyra, 80 kilometers southwest of the latter, Qaṣr al-Ḥayr al-Ġarbī 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 ʾUmayyāds. It also hosts the remnants of a Byzantine monastery.
The palace is square-shaped, 70 x 70 meters, and made of two stories. Following Syrian traditions, Qaṣr al-Ḥayr is centered around a courtyard; the latter is surrounded by colonnaded porticoes guarding the entrance to the living space.
An inscription in Kūfic script found at a door's lintel of a ruined caravansary located 10 kilometers from the palace identifies Caliph Hišām as the founder. The text states:
"In the name of Allah, the merciful and the compassionate. There is no god except Allah; he has no associate. This work was ordered by the slave of Allah, Hišām, Prince of the Faithful; may Allah reward him. The work was done by Ṯābit in Raǧab 109" (1).
The palace's main gate was transferred to the National Museum of Damascus in the 20th century, where it was reassembled.
(1) October or November 727 C.E.
Gérard Degeorge. Syrie. Art, Histoire, Architecture. Hermann, éditeurs des sciences et des arts 1983.
ʿAbd al-Qādir ar-Rīḥāwī. Al-ʿAmārā fi al-Ḥaḍārā al-ʾIslāmīyyā 1990 (illustration).
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