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Qasr Al-Hallabat,
Qasr Al-Hallabat lies 25 km northeast of Zarqa and 55 km northwest of
Azraq Fort. The site comprises a conglomerate of separate and widely spaced
units.
These include a palace (qasr), a mosque, a huge reservoir,
8 cisterns dug into the western slope, an irregularly shaped agricultural
enclosure with an elaborate system of sluices, and a cluster of poorly
built houses which extend to the northwest of the reservoir. The bath
complex of Hammam Assarah, is situated 2 km to the east of the qasr.
Originally Roman, this castle was rebuilt during the Umayyad
period when it was elaborately decorated in mosaics, carved stucco, and
fresco paintings, thus transforming the castle into a palatial residence.
There are about 150 inscriptions within the castle, mostly in Greek. The
vast majority of these inscribed stones, which were reused as building
material, belong to an edict issued by the Byzantine Emperor Anastasius
(491-518 AD).
The Umayyad rebuilding program was accompanied by a remarkable
development of the site: the addition of an extra-mural mosque with its
beautiful cusped arches; the agricultural enclosure with an elaborate
irrigation system; and the bath complex of Hammam Assarah.
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