Location: 10 km (6 mi) from al- Sukhnah Map
Qasr al-Heer al-Sharqi is an early medieval castle that is located 10 km (6 mi) from al- Sukhnah in Syria. Its name of Qasr al-Heer al-Sharqi is translated as a "Eastern Castle" by its geographic location. It was constructed by a Umayyad caliph or kalif (ruler) Hisham ibn Abd al-Malik in 728- 29. It served as a royal residence surrounded by a desert. The complex contained a mosque, palace as well as extensive olive gardens surrounded by high walls and towers. In 1999 the ruins of the royal outpost were designated as UNESCO World Heritage site.
The castle was built before the year 729 under Caliph
Hisham as a retreat from the epidemic-plagued capital Damascus. A canal
system brought water from the oasis of at-Taibe, 15 km away. This
transformed the desert into a blooming garden to which the caliphs liked
to retreat. The castle was also built for political reasons. The Syrian
desert was criss-crossed by important trade routes. This made it one of
the most important regions under their rule, both economically and
politically. The caliph also built the castle with the intention of
controlling the local Bedouin tribes and protecting trade routes.
During the reign of the Abbasids, the castle was completed and
continued to be used. However, with the transfer of the seat of power
from Damascus to Baghdad in 762 under the Caliph al-Mansur, the desert
castle gradually fell into oblivion - after all, there is evidence that
some buildings continued to be used until the 14th century; After that,
the ruins were only occasionally visited by caravans and nomads as a
resting place.
The entire complex consists of two parts, one of which
is referred to as a 'palace', whereas the other is to be understood as
an urban settlement (Arabic madīna); the latter was uncovered in seven
excavation campaigns between 1964 and 1972 under the direction of Oleg
Grabar.
The palace with the massive entrance is the most
impressive part of the complex. The building is square in design, the
outer walls, mostly made of precisely hewn natural stone, are each
approx. 70 m long; Some parts are also made of brick, but were probably
originally covered. Inside there is a large courtyard reminiscent of a
khan. The columns and capitals of the palace area are spolia of a
previously unidentified Roman building; There were also baths, cisterns
and smaller gardens here.
The city, which was significantly
larger in area, was located opposite the palace. The old mosque, whose
approx. 10 m high minaret is still well preserved, was located between
the city wall and the palace wall. An additional 16 km long outer wall
ran around the palace and the city - hardly anything can be seen today.