| Official Name: | Qasr al-Hallabat |
| Native Name: | Arabic: قصر الحلابات |
| Pushpin Map: | Jordan |
| Pushpin Label Position: | bottom |
| Pushpin Map Caption: | Location in Jordan |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Type1: | Governorate |
| Subdivision Name1: | Zarqa Governorate |
| Unit Pref: | Imperial |
| Population Blank1 Title: | Ethnicities |
| Population Blank2 Title: | Religions |
| Timezone: | UTC + 2 |
| Coordinates: | 32.0833°N 36.3631°W |
Qasr al-Hallabat (ar|قصر الحلابات) is an Umayyad desert castle, with the associated bath house of Hammam as-Sarah east of it. The nearby modern town, named after the castle, is part of the Zarqa Governorate of north-western Jordan, north-east of the capital of Amman.[1]
The complex of Qasr al-Hallabat is located in Jordan's eastern desert.[2] Originally a Roman structure constructed in the 2nd-3rd century AD to protect the eastern frontiers of the Roman Empire, although there is trace evidence of Nabatean presence at the site.[2] It was one fort of many on the Roman highway, Via Nova Traiana, a route that connected Damascus to Aila (modern-day Aqaba) by way of Petra and Philadelphia (modern-day Amman).[2]
In the 6th century, the fort was ceded to the Ghassanids as part of the foedus treaty with the Byzantine emperor Justinian. The Ghassanids significantly altered the structure and constructed a monastery.[3]
By the 8th century, the Umayyad caliph Hisham ibn Abd al-Malik ordered the structures to be demolished in order to redevelop this military site and its neighboring territory to become one of the grandest of all Umayyad desert complexes.[2]
Guided by the extant plan, Hisham incorporated a mosque (situated 15 meters southeast of the main structure), a complicated water system including five cisterns and a considerably large water reservoir, and a bathhouse.[2] Furthermore, situated to the west of the palace remains an enclosed structure probably used for agricultural purposes such as cultivating olive trees and/or grapevines, of which only a one-layered stone footprint is still standing.[2]
The main palace is built of dark and light stone, basalt and limestone, and has a square floor plan with towers at each corner.[2] Grand in stature, the principal structures were further enhanced with decorative mosaics depicting an assortment of animals, detailed frescoes and highly crafted stucco carvings.[2] The site remains to be completely restored.[2]
Approximately some 14 meters southeast of the palace stand the remains of the mosque.[2] Small in scale, it measures 10.70 by 11.80 meters and is constructed of layered limestone.[2] Inside, two arching riwaqs divide the mosque into three sections.[2] A rounded molding extends the perimeter of the space at the height of 2.10 meters.[2] Similar to Qusayr 'Amra and Hammam as-Sarah, three barrel vaults support the roof of the structure. Encircling the mosque from the north, west, and east stood a 3.30-meter wide portico.[2]
Of the mosque, three wall sections, including the mihrab in the southern wall, remained intact from the original structure.[2] Recent reconstruction works have added back the collapsed elements.
The nearby modern town of Qasr Al-Hallabat is a municipality consisting of four villages. The area is inhabited by the Bani Sakhr tribe, especially the Al-Othman family.