|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
Five (5) km north of Jericho are the ruins of the impressive desert palace of Hisham (Hisham's Palace). The palace was a country residence built either by the Umayyad Caliph Hisham Ibn Abd Al Malik (AD 724-743) or Al Walid Ibn Yazid (AD 743-4). The Arab-Umayyad dynasty ruled an empire stretching from India to France. Like most early Arab rulers, Hisham preferred the freedom of the desert to the city life of Damascus, the capital. The palace is a complex of buildings, baths, mosques, and colonnaded courts. Its mosaics and stucco ornaments are fine examples of early Islamic art and architecture. Experts say that an earthquake destroyed the buildings before they were completed. Thus the accumulated sand and debris helped to preserve the palace's lovely mosaics. The mosaic floors of the baths are a major attraction for visitors and so is the tree of Life of the guest room (also called the Tree of Human Cruelty), this is one of the most beautiful mosaics in the world. Many of the carved stuccos from the palace are displyed at the Rockefeller Archeological Museum in Jerusalem. Saladin troops attempted to restore the palace in the 12th century, but thereafter and down to the 1940's of this century, the ruins served as a quarry of cut stones for the people of Jericho. A small museum on the right of the entrance houses a collection of pottery found on the site. It is often closed but you may be able to persuade the guard to let you visit. Toilets are located to the left of the present entrance. Visiting hours are from 8am to 5pm. |
