Author
The supervisor of the construction of Khan El Melh, which forms part of the palace, is Thabit bin Thabit.
Author Original
المشرف على بناء خان الملح الذي يشكل جزءاً من القصر هو ثابت بن ثابت
Publication Date
109 / 727
Type
Other
Language
Undetermined
Digital
Yes
Manuscript
No
Library
Museum With No Frontiers
Record ID
monument;ISL;sy;Mon01;28;ar
Library Location
60 km southwest of Palmyra, Syria
Date
109 / 727
Notes
Al-Hayr Al-Gharbi Palace is considered one of the most important desert palaces because it gives an impression of the fine art and architecture that spread during the Umayyad era. It consists of many elements, some of which are agricultural and some are architectural, as it contains a dam, a canal, an orchard, a pond, a mill, as well as a khan and a bathhouse, in addition to the palace buildings. The Umayyad caliphs, especially Hisham ibn Abd al-Malik, were proud of their ability to transform deserts into paradise and protected gardens in which they would conduct hunting trips and other forms of royal entertainment. Extremely beautiful and high-tech floor paintings and plaster wall engravings were found in the palace, indicating the continuation of local art traditions and their connection with the arts of Persia and Romans in the early Islamic era. The water and agricultural elements in the palace contain the dam known as the Kharbaqa Dam, and it is located 16 km southwest of the palace. An underground canal extends from it, reaching all the way to the palace, and branches off to the bathroom, the pond, the orchard, and the mill. As for the orchard, it is a rectangular walled area with dimensions of 1050 x 442 metres. In it, the remains of the canal and the guard’s residence were discovered. As for the khan, it is located 10 km northwest of the palace. It is known as Khan al-Malah. It is a semi-square building, with a side length of about 55 metres. Its walls are made of baked brick and its foundations are made of stone. It has a central courtyard. Al-Hammam is also located on the northwestern side, 10 km from the palace. It consists of two sections: the cold section, which contains four rooms, one of which contains a mihrab; The hot section is located above the fire house and consists of three rooms. As for the palace in question, its external appearance is closer to a fort, but that is only a decorative view. It is square in shape, with a side length of 70 metres. It was built from loose limestone stones to a height of two metres, then finished with mud. Three of its outer corners contain circular towers. As for the northwestern corner, a square Byzantine tower dating back to the 6th century AD has been preserved. On the eastern side, there are two semi-circular towers surrounding the gate, which contain long plaster decoration carved in geometric and floral styles. There are two large balconies at the top of the towers, and narrow windows that resemble goals. This great facade was moved to the entrance to the Damascus National Museum in the 1940s. The entrance to the palace leads to a covered vestibule, then a covered gallery surrounding a central square courtyard. The building consists of two floors, which are believed to be identical, and there are two stairs leading to the second floor. The two floors are divided into six independent sections distributed around the courtyard, each section containing rooms, a hall, and a toilet. Above the doors of the rooms are perforated plaster arches for ventilation and lighting. This palace is famous for its rich artistic decoration with paintings, engravings and plaster statues that covered most of its interior, a number of which were transferred to the Damascus National Museum. It was strange that the drawings were executed on the floor instead of the wall, which may indicate the importance of the second floor and the gallery surrounding the courtyard, which offers a comprehensive view of the arts inside. Despite the lavish decorating of the palace and the good use of nature, the scarcity of pottery and glass pieces in it indicates the infrequency and short periods of its use by the Umayyads. The site was used for military purposes in the Ayyubid and Mamluk eras, and was abandoned after the Mongol destruction of the area.
Sample Text
Dina Bakkour “Al-Hayr Al-Gharbi Palace” in Discover Islamic Art. Museum Without Borders, 2026. 2026. https://islamicart.museumwnf.org/database_item.php?id=monument;ISL;sy;Mon01;28;ar
