Publication Date
Before 92/710
Type
Other
Language
Undetermined
Digital
Yes
Manuscript
No
Library
Museum With No Frontiers
Record ID
monument;ISL;jo;Mon01;25;ar
Library Location
It is located 55 km east of Amman, Al Kharana, Jordan
Date
Before 92/710
Notes
Al-Kharrana Palace is located 55 km east of Amman, and it is still in good condition. The building takes the shape of a square, with a side length of approximately 36 metres. Supporting towers were erected at its corners, extending from half the circle to three-quarters of the circle, while a semicircular support protruded from the middle of each wall. The entrance opens in the middle of the southern wall, and is flanked on either side by two quarter-circular pillars. The entrance leads to a long corridor overlooking a central square courtyard with a side length of 13 metres. The building, which was constructed using uncut stone blocks and limestone mortar, consists of two floors, in which the residential units were distributed around the central courtyard according to the house system. Each housing unit or house consists of a central hall surrounded on two sides by two rooms connected to it through a gate in each room. The upper floor rooms are reached by two stairs erected at the southeast and southwest corners of the central square. The rooms and halls were roofed by shallow barrel vaults supported by transverse arches emerging from columns attached to the walls. At first glance, the palace appears from the outside as a fortified building, as we notice the supporting towers and narrow openings that were opened in the thickness of the surrounding interior walls, which are mistakenly called arrow shoots, when in fact they were used for lighting and ventilation. The external facades are decorated with two narrow strips in which bricks are placed axially at a 45-degree angle, adding a kind of diversity to these facades. The method of construction and roofing, as well as the decoration of the stucco rose tablets, reflect clear Sasanian (Iranian) influences. The building was not a fortress and did not have a defensive function, but rather it was most likely built as a meeting place for the chiefs of the tribes that supported the Umayyads.
Sample Text
Mohammad Najjar “Kharrana Palace” in Discover Islamic Art. Museum Without Borders, 2026. 2026. https://islamicart.museumwnf.org/database_item.php?id=monument;ISL;jo;Mon01;25;ar