Desert castle
The term desert castle is a makeshift name for early Islamic mock fort in the Middle East . Outwardly, they have a clear defensive character, but mainly serve representative purposes, which is reflected in the magnificent interior of the palace complex. There are no accommodations for soldiers, however. Often only several buildings that are scattered across the desert in the east of Jordan , east of the capital Amman, are referred to as desert castles - probably because the Jordanian state actively markets them for tourism purposes. Typologically, some buildings in Syria as well as Israel and Palestine can also be counted among the desert castles.
history
The castles were built between the 7th and 8th centuries, mainly between 650 and 750 during the reign of the Umayyad dynasty caliphs , who made Damascus their capital in 661 . The term “desert castle” is a bit misleading, some of the buildings are in semi-arid areas or even in or near cities. From 750 the capital was moved to Baghdad and the region in which the desert castles were located lost its importance. Many of them never seem to have been fully completed.
Similar secular buildings can also be found in Palestine and Syria, such as the Palace of Hisham near Jericho, the Chirbat al-Minya complex on the Sea of Galilee and Qasr al-Heir al-Sharqi in the Syrian desert . The Umayyad palace complexes, many of which are richly decorated with mosaics , are impressive examples of early Islamic art and architecture .
Function of the desert castles
The function and purpose have not yet been finally clarified and presumably differed from case to case: The Qusur (singular Qasr ) probably served partly (rather rarely) for defense, partly agricultural purposes, partly as meeting places for the Bedouins (among themselves and with the representatives of the Umayyads), as badiyas (country residences of nobles) or as caravanserais (parallel to the emergence of the desert castles there was also a significant increase in the caravan trade). The facilities were partly built on the remains of older buildings - in particular Roman border forts , more rarely Ghassanid buildings - and partly rebuilt. All desert castles are strategically located in some way, close to major roads, checkpoints, or water resources. It stands to reason that the Umayyads served them not only as an aristocratic amusement, but also to demonstrate and consolidate their power in important areas. Last but not least, the monumental architecture with gardens and ponds in the middle of a highly arid area may also have had a psychological effect.
List of so-called desert castles
Since the term desert castle is not uniformly defined, it is not possible to create a complete list. Many of the structures have been destroyed today, mainly as a result of the frequent earthquakes. The best preserved or restored include:
In Jordan
- Qusair 'Amra , about 85 km east of Amman
- Qasr al-Azraq , about 100 km east of Amman
- Qasr Burqu , about 200 km east of Amman
- Qasr Hallabat , about 60 km northeast of Amman
- Qasr Hammam al-Sarah , about 55 km northeast of Amman
- Qasr Kharana , about 65 km east of Amman
- Qasr Mshatta , about 35 km southeast of Amman
- Qasr Muschasch , about 40 km east of Amman
- Qasr al-Qastal , about 25 km south of Amman
- Qasr Tuba , about 95 km southeast of Amman
- The Umayyad Palace on the Amman Citadel
- Umm al-Walid near Madaba
In Syria
- Qasr al-Heir al-Gharbi 80 km southwest of Palmyra
- Qasr al-Heir al-Sharqi around 130 km from Palmyra
- Jabal Sais north of al-Azraq, just beyond the Syrian border
In Israel / Palestine
- The Palace of Hisham 5 km north of Jericho
- Chirbat al-Minya on the northwestern bank of the Sea of Galilee
- An unexplored Qasr in Al-Sinnabra
- On the Temple Mount
literature
- MBA Alhasanat: The spatial analysis of a historical phenomenon: using GIS to demonstrate the strategic placement of the Umayyad "desert palaces". Master thesis, Universiti Sains Malaysia 2009 ( PDF )
- H. Belief: The syrian desert castles: Some economic and political perspectives on their genesis. In: FM Donner (Ed.): The Articulation of Early Islamic State Structures (= The Formation of the Classical Islamic World 6). Routledge, Abingdon-onThames 2012, pp. 337-368, ISBN 978-0860787211 .
- D. Kennedy, D. Riley: Rome's desert frontier from the air. Batsford, London 1990, ISBN 0-7134-6262-0 .
- RG Khouri: The desert Castles: A Guide to the Antiquities. Al Kutba, Amman 1988.
- FR check: Jordan. Peoples and cultures between the Jordan and the Red Sea . 6th edition. DuMont Reiseverlag, Ostfildern 2011, ISBN 3-7701-3979-8
Web links
- The Desert Castle Loop on the official website of the Royal Hashemite Court (English)
- Desert Castles Tour (Universes in Universe - Worlds of Art)
Individual evidence
- ↑ The Desert Castle Loop on the official website of The Royal Hashemite Court (English)
- ^ RG Khouri, The desert Castles: A Guide to the Antiquities. Al Kutba, Amman 1988, p. 4 f.
- ↑ H.Glaube: The syrian desert castles: Some economic and political perspectives on Their genesis. In: FM Donner (Ed.): The Articulation of Early Islamic State Structures (= The Formation of the Classical Islamic World 6). Routledge, Abingdon-onThames 2012, p. 369 f.
- ↑ MBA Alhasanat: The spatial analysis of a historical phenomenon: using GIS to demonstrate the strategic placement of the Umayyad "desert palaces". Master thesis, Universiti Sains Malaysia 2009, p. 120 f.
- ↑ For a broader overview cf. the list in D. Kennedy, D. Riley: Rome's desert frontier from the air. Batsford, London 1990, p. 8 f.