Qasr al-Heir al-Sharqi
Qasr al-Heir al-Sharqi ( Arabic قصر الحير الشرقي, DMG Qaṣr al-Ḥair aš-šarqī ) is the oldest preserved fortified settlement from Umayyad times. It is located in the Syrian desert , 128 km from Palmyra and 120 km from the ruined city of Resafa and was used as a summer residence by the Umayyad caliphs of Damascus . Translated, Qasr al-Heir al-Sharqi means "eastern game enclosure". The castle got its name from the lush gardens that once surrounded the palace. Many animals that were hunted by the Umayyads were released here.
history
The castle was built before the year 729 under Caliph Hisham as a place of retreat from the epidemic-ridden capital Damascus. A canal system brought water from the oasis at-Taibe, 15 km away. This turned the desert into a blooming garden, where the caliphs liked to retreat. The castle was also built for political reasons. The Syrian desert was criss-crossed by important trade routes. This made it economically and politically one of the most important regions under their rule. The caliph built the castle with the intention of controlling local Bedouin tribes and protecting the trade routes.
During the Abbasid reign , the castle was completed and continued to be used. With the relocation of the seat of power from Damascus to Baghdad in 762 under the caliph al-Mansur , however, the desert castle gradually fell into oblivion - after all, there are indications that some buildings were still in use until the 14th century; after that the ruins were only occasionally visited by caravans and nomads as a resting place.
investment
The entire complex consists of two parts, one of which is referred to as a 'palace', while the other is to be understood as an urban settlement (Arabic madīna ); the latter was uncovered in seven excavation campaigns between 1964 and 1972 under the direction of Oleg Grabar .
The palace with the huge entrance is the most impressive part of the complex. The structure is laid out in a square shape, the outer walls, mostly made of precisely hewn natural stone, are each approx. 70 m long; some parts are also made of bricks , but were probably originally clad. Inside there is a large courtyard reminiscent of a Khan . The pillars and capitals of the palace area are spoils of a previously unidentified Roman building; there were also baths , cisterns and smaller gardens here.
The city, which was much larger in terms of its area, was opposite the palace. The old mosque , whose minaret is still around 10 m high , was located between the city and palace walls. A 16 km long outer wall ran around the palace and the city - hardly anything can be seen of this today.
literature
- Frank Rainer Scheck , Johannes Odenthal : Syria. High cultures between the Mediterranean and the Arabian desert. 4th updated edition. DuMont, Ostfildern 2009, ISBN 978-3-7701-3978-1 , pp. 389-391.
- Erwin M. Ruprechtsberger , Sebastian Scherzer : From the Lebanon Mountains to the Syrian Desert. Hosn Sfiri, Palmyra, Qasr al-Hayr al-Sharqi (= Linz archaeological research. Special issue. 49). Magistrate of the State Capital Linz, Linz 2014, ISBN 978-3-85484-597-3 .
- Renata Holod-Tretiak: Qasr al-Hayr al-Sharqi: A Mediaeval Town in Syria. In: Archeology . Vol. 23, No. 3, June 1970, pp. 221-231, JSTOR 41674152 .
Web links
- Qasr al-Heir al-Sharqi - floor plans, aerial view, photos + information (English)
- Qasr al-Hayr al-Sharqi - Photos and information (English)
Coordinates: 35 ° 4 ' N , 39 ° 4' E