Publication Date
Beginning of the 2nd century / mid-8th century
Type
Other
Language
Undetermined
Digital
Yes
Manuscript
No
Library
Museum With No Frontiers
Record ID
monument;ISL;jo;Mon01;2;ar
Library Location
It is located directly north of Queen Alia International Airport, south of Amman, Jordan
Date
Beginning of the 2nd century / mid-8th century
Notes
Al-Mushta Palace takes the shape of a square with a side length of 144 metres, with circular towers erected in its corners. Standing out from the walls surrounding the palace, which in some parts exceed five meters in height, are five semicircular towers, with the exception of the southern wall, where there are four semicircular towers and two polygonal towers (semi-octagonal in shape) surrounding the entrance that opened in the middle of this wall. The plan of Al-Mushta Palace is considered one of the most advanced plans of the Umayyad palaces. It is divided internally into three wings or sections by two walls extending from north to south. The middle wing, in turn, is divided into three sections, the middle of which serves as an open middle courtyard. This is what prompted Professor Crisol to call this plan “triangular successive divisions.” The main buildings occupy the northern and southern sections of the central wing. The two side wings are devoid of any stone protrusions protruding from the inner surfaces of the side walls, which indicates that the palace construction project was not completed. The entrance opens in the southern wall and leads to a long corridor overlooking from its far end an open courtyard that was surrounded by sheds. The corridor is flanked to the east by a mosque, and to the west by a building of unclear function that may have been intended for the palace guards. As for the northern section of the central wing, what we can call the official wing was erected. This wing consists of a reception hall that ends in a room with three arches. The official wing is entered through an entrance with three arches emanating from shoulders topped by Corinthian capitals. The entrance leads to the reception hall, which follows the plan of the basilica (divided into three wings by two rows of columns), and ends with the throne room with three apses. The official wing is surrounded from the east and west by a pair of residential units (houses), each of which consists of a middle courtyard surrounded on two sides by double rooms with open gates overlooking the open middle courtyard. It should be noted that these buildings were constructed using brick panels erected on stone bases consisting of four courses of trimmed stone blocks. Perhaps the most important feature of Qasr al-Mushta is its stone façade with fine decorations, which was transported in 1904 to Berlin, where it is displayed in the Islamic Art Hall of the Pergamon Museum. The decorative elements, which appear to be precisely carved into plaster, include grape leaves, acanthus, and pink disks, interspersed with figures of birds and other animals (some real, some mythical), as well as human figures. It is noted that the decorations on the façade opposite the mosque are limited to plant decorations, and are devoid of animal and human forms. These decorations reflect Sasanian, Byzantine, and Coptic influences, but in their diversity and integration, they represent a unique style.
Sample Text
Mohammad Najjar “Qasr al-Mushta” in Discover Islamic Art. Museum Without Borders, 2026. 2026. https://islamicart.museumwnf.org/database_item.php?id=monument;ISL;jo;Mon01;2;ar
