Qasr tuba

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Qasr tuba, west wing

Qasr tuba ( Arabic قصر طوبة, DMG Qaṣr Ṭūba , often also Qasr al-Tuba ) is an Umayyad building in the Amman Governorate in northern Jordan . is counted among the so-called desert castles with a number of other early Islamic buildings from the Near East . The word Qasr ( Arabic القصر, DMG al-qaṣr ), which these buildings often have in their names, means “castle, fortress”.

location

Location of some “desert castles” in today's Jordan

Qasr Tuba is the southernmost of the desert castles in Jordan. It is located around 100 kilometers southeast of the capital Amman in a semi-arid to desert region and is difficult to reach today. According to the needs of a larger gathering of people in such a remote place, the construction site was chosen near a water source - the Wadi Ghadaf, which carries water during the winter rain, runs nearby . The wadi was partially dammed with dams, and several wells were built. The facility is practically not used for tourism and can only be visited with all-wheel drive vehicles on unpaved roads.

history

The facility was built in 743 by order of the Caliph al-Walid II for his sons al-Hakam and 'Uthmanit. Presumably it was intended as a residence or hunting lodge for the two princes. As in medieval Europe , hunting was a popular leisure activity for the nobility in the Middle East. According to the original planning, Qasr Tuba should have consisted of two square courtyard houses, each 70 meters long with attached semicircular towers. However, the project was never completed. Presumably the construction activities stopped after the assassination of al-Walid in the year 744.

Presumably Qasr Tuba also had the function of a caravanserai ; the caravan trade increased strongly during this period and al-Walid II wanted to intensify trade with the Hejaz . The overall appearance of the building is less imperial than other so-called desert castles, which suggests that it could have served more as a temporary or seasonal residence. Qasr Tuba offered three deep wells with an unusually complicated water lifting system and several basins for watering the animals to supply caravans passing through. Western scholars became aware of Qasr Tuba through a report by the Austro-Hungarian orientalist Alois Musil , who visited the facility in 1898 following advice from Bedouins.

description

Detail of the masonry

As far as they have been preserved, the building structures show two symmetrical, quasi-square courtyards with surrounding buildings, which together form a complex with dimensions of 140 by 72 meters. However, only the west wing was completed. Each courtyard has its own monumental entrance on the north side. Inside, the two parts are connected by a corridor that could be blocked if necessary. A total of 14 semicircular towers are attached to the outer wall, except in the north, where the two entrances are each flanked by two square rooms. The best preserved parts are in the northwest and west of the complex. A prayer area was identified within the facility.

The masonry consists of a mixture of stone and clay bricks. If preserved, the ceilings are formed by barrel vaults . The door frames are decorated with rosettes and climbing plant motifs, which give the impression of lace decoration . Qasr Tuba is an outstanding example of Umayyad brick construction. The type of materials, construction techniques and decorative elements used is strongly reminiscent of the Mschatta desert castle , which is why it is assumed that both were built at the same time. Lonely Planet describes Qasr Tuba as Easily the most impressive of the lesser-known castles.

literature

  • G. Fowden: Quṣayr ʿAmra: Art and the Umayyad Elite in Late Antique Syria. University of California Press, Berkeley, 2004, ISBN 978-0520236653 .
  • O. Grabar, R. Holod, J. Knustad, W. Trousdale: City in the Desert: Qasr al-Hayr East. Harvard University Press, Cambridge 1978.
  • IL Hansen, C. Wickham (Ed.): The Long Eighth Century: Production, Distribution and Demand (= The Transformation of the Roman World 11). Brill, Leiden 2000, ISBN 978-9004117235 .
  • A. Lash: Qasr tuba . In: Annual of the Department of Antiquities 56, 2012, pp. 9-29 (Arabic).
  • M. Hattstein, P. Delius: Islam: Art and Architecture. Könemann, Hamburg 2000, ISBN 9783829025584 .
  • A. Petersen: Dictionary of Islamic Architecture. Routledge, Abingdon-on-Thames 2002, ISBN 9781134613663 .
  • M. Rogers: The spread of Islam. Oxford, Elsevier-Phaidon, 1976.
  • T. Talgamm: The Stylistic Origins of Umayyad Sculpture and Architectural Decoration. Otto Harrassowitz Verlag, Wiesbaden 2004, ISBN 978-3447047388

Web links

  • Qasr al-Tuba in the Archnet Digital Library
  • Qasr Al Tuba at Lonely Planet
  • Qasr Tuba on the website of the Jordanian cultural property protection organization Cultech

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ https://archnet.org/sites/4139 Retrieved September 16, 2018
  2. ↑ a b c A. Petersen: Dictionary of Islamic Architecture Routledge, Abingdon-on-Thames 2002, p. 239
  3. ↑ a b Qasr Tuba at Jordan Eastern Desert Attractions.Retrieved September 17, 2018
  4. ^ M. Hattstein, P. Delius: Islam: Art and Architecture. Könemann, Hamburg 2000. p. 72
  5. ↑ G. Fowden: Qusayr'Amra: Art and the Umayyad elite in Late Antique Syria. University of California Press, Berkeley, 2004 p. 158
  6. ↑ G. Fowden: Qusayr'Amra: Art and the Umayyad elite in Late Antique Syria. University of California Press, Berkeley, 2004, p. 164 f.
  7. ^ IL Hansen, C. Wickham (ed.): The Long Eighth Century: Production, Distribution and Demand (= The Transformation of the Roman World 11). Brill, Leiden 2000, p. 289 f.
  8. ↑ a b http://cultech.net/qasr-tuba Retrieved September 17, 2018
  9. ↑ https://www.select.jo/de/location/qasr-tuba/ Retrieved on September 17, 2018
  10. ^ M. Rogers: The spread of Islam. Oxford, Elsevier-Phaidon, 1976, p. 108
  11. ^ A. Lash: Qasr Tuba . In: Annual of the Department of Antiquities 56, 2012, pp. 9-29.
  12. ↑ T. Talgamm: The Stylistic Origins of Umayyad Sculpture and Architectural Decoration. Otto Harrassowitz Verlag, Wiesbaden 2004, p. 44
  13. ^ O. Grabar, R. Holod, J. Knustad, W. Trousdale: City in the Desert: Qasr al-Hayr East. Harvard University Press, Cambridge 1978, p. 152

Coordinates: 31 ° 19 ′ 32 ″  N , 36 ° 34 ′ 15 ″  E