Qasr Al-Mushatta: The Unfinished Winter Palace in Photos

Share

Begun around AD 743–744 and left unfinished, Qasr Al-Mushatta is the largest and most ambitious Umayyad palace in Jordan, built of stone and orange fired brick beside today’s Queen Alia Airport. This album starts at the re-erected triple arch, goes into the brick-vaulted throne hall and its suites, walks along the outer walls and towers, and ends at the mosque by the gate, with its mihrab and carved façade, and the carved stones that stayed in Jordan.

In this album

44 photos of Qasr Al-Mushatta

Tap a photo to open it full size
The re-erected triple arch of the throne-room block under dramatic clouds, Qasr Al-Mushatta, Jordan
01The Triple Arch
A path leading towards the triple arch and brick walls, Qasr Al-Mushatta, Jordan
02Approaching the Arch
A high fired-brick wall beside the arch, Qasr Al-Mushatta, Jordan
03Brick Wall and Arch
Fallen stone blocks in front of the triple arch, Qasr Al-Mushatta, Jordan
04Fallen Stones
The triple arch seen at an angle, Qasr Al-Mushatta, Jordan
05The Arch at an Angle
The three arches with their carved stone frames, Qasr Al-Mushatta, Jordan
06Three Arches
The triple arch seen across a green spring field, Qasr Al-Mushatta, Jordan
07Across the Grass
Carved stone arch frames on brick walls, Qasr Al-Mushatta, Jordan
08Stone and Brick
A close view of the triple arch, Qasr Al-Mushatta, Jordan
09The Arch Up Close
The arch seen from across the stony courtyard, Qasr Al-Mushatta, Jordan
10From the Courtyard
The open courtyard in front of the throne-room block, Qasr Al-Mushatta, Jordan
11The Great Court
Looking through the arch into the hall beyond, Qasr Al-Mushatta, Jordan
12Through the Arch
A brick apse with its half-dome, Qasr Al-Mushatta, Jordan
13A Brick Apse
Low brick vaults of the residential suites, Qasr Al-Mushatta, Jordan
14Low Brick Vaults
Stairs between fired-brick walls, Qasr Al-Mushatta, Jordan
15Stairs and Walls
Brick walls beside a heap of rubble, Qasr Al-Mushatta, Jordan
16Brick and Rubble
A room with high fired-brick walls, Qasr Al-Mushatta, Jordan
17A Brick Room
Brick vaults under dark clouds, Qasr Al-Mushatta, Jordan
18Vaults Under Clouds
Brick walls of the suites with a stone basin, Qasr Al-Mushatta, Jordan
19Walls of the Suites
A pointed arched doorway in a brick wall, Qasr Al-Mushatta, Jordan
20A Pointed Doorway
Brick walls of the palace standing in the sun, Qasr Al-Mushatta, Jordan
21Brick Walls
A brick vault and walls of the throne-room block, Qasr Al-Mushatta, Jordan
22A Brick Vault
Brick vaults beside an arch, Qasr Al-Mushatta, Jordan
23Vaults and Arch
Stone columns and arches of the hall, Qasr Al-Mushatta, Jordan
24Columns and Arches
The stone base of a round tower, Qasr Al-Mushatta, Jordan
25A Round Tower
Ruined towers along the outer wall, Qasr Al-Mushatta, Jordan
26Towers on the Wall
The rubble-filled base of a tower, Qasr Al-Mushatta, Jordan
27Tower Base
A ruined tower in evening light, Qasr Al-Mushatta, Jordan
28Tower at Sunset
A broken tower above fallen stones, Qasr Al-Mushatta, Jordan
29A Broken Tower
Ruined towers along the enclosure wall, Qasr Al-Mushatta, Jordan
30Along the Wall
The stone core of a tower, Qasr Al-Mushatta, Jordan
31A Tower Core
A stone tower room with its doorway, Qasr Al-Mushatta, Jordan
32A Tower Room
A field of fallen stones along the walls, Qasr Al-Mushatta, Jordan
33Fallen Stones
A rubble tower against an evening sky, Qasr Al-Mushatta, Jordan
34Rubble Tower
The sun setting over the ruined walls, Qasr Al-Mushatta, Jordan
35Sunset over the Ruins
Brick ruins on stone footings, Qasr Al-Mushatta, Jordan
36Brick and Stone
The mihrab wall of the mosque beside the gate, Qasr Al-Mushatta, Jordan
37The Mosque Mihrab
The mihrab niche of the mosque, Qasr Al-Mushatta, Jordan
38The Mihrab Niche
Carved decoration along a wall of the mosque, Qasr Al-Mushatta, Jordan
39Mosque Wall Decoration
A row of carved stones with vine scrolls on the façade of the mosque, Qasr Al-Mushatta, Jordan
40The Carved Façade of the Mosque
Deeply carved vines and leaves on the façade of the mosque, Qasr Al-Mushatta, Jordan
41Façade Detail of the Mosque
A carved stone block resting on a wall, Qasr Al-Mushatta, Jordan
42A Carved Block
A carved block with vine scrolls, Qasr Al-Mushatta, Jordan
43Vine Scrolls
Carved roundels on the stone frame of an arch, Qasr Al-Mushatta, Jordan
44Carved Arch Frame

About this album

Site

Qasr Al-Mushatta, Eastern Desert

Region

Eastern Desert

Coordinates

31.7383° N, 36.0104° E

Photos

44 photos

Visit this site with us
Private guided tour
See the tour →
Popular:
Themes
Periods
Browse by type