| Castles
Desert
Castles and Palaces
They were built
in the Umayyad Caliphs period, in the eighth
century A.D. There were built in the Jordanian
desert as rest stations to the Caliphs, hunting
lodges to enjoy horse riding and bathing. The
most important of these palaces are Mushatta,
Kharanah, Amra, Hallabat, Tuba and others.
Quseir
Amra
It is situated
in Wadi El Butm 75Kms east of Amman and
was built by the Umayyads for rest and recreation.
It is composed of three units : the audience
hall, the bath and the cistern. It is one
of the best still standing Umayyad palaces.
The interior walls are covered with beautiful
paintings representing hand crafts, some
musicians, nude women as well as paintings
of the kings who were subdued by the Umayyads.
The most beautiful painting is the one on
the dome which illustrates the Zodiac.
Azraq
Castle
It is situated at
90 Kms east of Amman. It was built of
black basalt. It is dated to the Roman
period during the reign of Emperor Diocletian
and the Emperor Maximian in A.D. 300.
It contains an Arabic inscription dated
to the reign of the Mamluke Sultan Izz
El Dein Aibak.
Qasr
El - Kharanah
It was built
as a defense castle due to its strategic
position. It is a square fortress with
a round tower on the southern side with
a large window and a row of decoration
niches above.
Qasr El-Mushatta
It is mentioned
that El-Harith Ibn Jablah built this palace
as he was appointed king of Syria by the
Byzantine Emperor Jostenanos. It is one
of the Umayyad’s great and most famous
palaces.
Um El-Jmal
It is located
in the north-east of Amman and east of
Mafraq. It is built of black basalt. Durind
the Nabataean period it became a major
commercial and military settlement. In
the Byzantine period it was a Christian
center and churches were built in it.
In the seventh century A.D. it was destroyed
by an earthquake.
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Places & facts
