Qasr al-Hallabat

Qasr al-Hallabat it's just off the main road about 30 kilometers east into the desert from Zarqa.

It was originally a Roman fort built during the reign of Caracalla (198-217 CE) to defend against raiding desert tribes. There is evidence that, before Caracalla, Trajan had settled a post there on the remains of a Nabatean settlement.

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 north-west of the reservoir. The bath complex of Hammam Al-Sarah, found 2 km to the east of the qasr.

Originally Roman, during the Umayyad period they rebuilt the castle and decorated it in mosaics, carved stucco, and fresco paintings, thus transforming the castle into a palatial home. There are about 150 inscriptions within the castle, mostly in Greek. Most of these inscribed stones, reused as building material, belong to a law issued by the Byzantine Emperor Anastasius (491-518 AD).

The Umayyad rebuilding did a remarkable development of the site: adding an extramural mosque with it's beautiful cusped arches; the agricultural enclosure with an elaborate irrigation system; and the bath complex of Hammam Assarah. Today, you can still see the channels used for hot water and steam.

qasr al hallabat