The palace of Mshatta

The ruins of the palace of Mshatta (Arabic for winter camp) are located thirty kilometers south of Amman, the Jordanian capital. Construction of the palace, which probably started during the brief reign of the Umayyad caliph al-Walid II (125 - 26 H./743-744), was not completed as he was murdered early on and the palace destroyed shortly after by an earthquake.

Mshatta was constructed as a palatial complex with a square enclosure wall. The entrance was located on the south side, where part of the façade, 47 m long, was decorated with grapevines. A peculiar feature of the façade is the change in motifs the triangular fields on the left section of the façade show the peaceful coexistence of animals and mythical creatures. The reproductions of living creatures end at the right gate-tower, probably due to the presence of the mosque behind this part of the façade, where such imagery was forbidden.

Sculptural fragments from the throne room suggest that the interior of the caliphal palace once displayed a wealth of figurative imagery, thus placing Mshatta in the tradition of the Umayyad palaces in the region of Syria and Palestine.

The main part of the decorated façade was presented to the German Kaiser Wilhelm II by the Ottoman Sultan 'Abd al-Hamid II; it has been in the Berlin museums since 19003. As one of the most important architectural monuments, it has been on view to museum visitors ever since the Kaiser Friedrich Museum opened in 1904. Since 1932, the façade is on exhibition at the Pergamon Museum.

Taken on  Wednesday 07th of August 2019

Device: Google

Model: Pixel 3 XL