Hisham’s Palace

Hisham’s Palace is an archaeological site of Umayyad (the 8th century).

It is even called the Palace of Versailles in the Middle East by archaeologists.

This palace was built by Hisham ibn Abd al-Malik, the 10th Umayyad caliph as his winter residence.

We can imagine the winter resort has existed since a long time ago.

An object at Hisham’s Palace, Jericho
This object is said to be an archetype of the rose window in European churches. MichaelDarter

Despite its completion, the palace was destroyed by an earthquake in 747.

The mosaic has been kept as it was, and we can see the beautiful colors even nowadays.

It is said that there was a mosque, a fountain, and a bathhouse beside the residence in the area.

The residence was thought to be a gorgeous architect with portico and two stories.

For the bathing place, the ground hot water system was laid by the latest technology at that time.

The mosaic

One of the beautiful objects in Hisham’s Palace is the mosaic in a bathing room.

The mosaic at Hisham’s Palace, Jericho
Although this mosaic dates back to 1300 years ago, it retains vivid colors. random exposure

Made with tiny stones, this mosaic shows a scene that a lion eating deer under a big tree.

This motif is often used in Hebron ceramics.

Information

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