One of the largest mosaic panels in the world has been unveiled after a $12 million multi-year restoration project at Hisham’s Palace in Jericho in the occupied West Bank.
The Palestinian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities on Sunday unveiled the Umayyad-era mosaic, a total of 38 carpet-like mosaic panels covering 827 square metres. Elevated platforms were built to assure that the visitors can enjoy the site of the mosaic without treading on it.
Located 36 kilometers east of Jerusalem, Jericho is on the road to Amman and at the junction of the highway to the Galilee. In Jericho is Tel as-Sultan, the ancient city of Jericho, which is the lowest (258 meters below sea level) and the oldest town on earth, dating back more than 10,000 years. It grew up around a perennial spring, Ain as-Sultan, in an area of fertile alluvial soil that attracted hunter-gatherer groups to settle and start the process of plant and animal domestication. Ain as-Sultan is known as Elisha’s spring, where the prophet Elisha cleansed the water of Jericho.
Jericho’s moderate climate makes it a favorite winter resort, as it is always a number of degrees warmer than other parts of Palestine owing to its low elevation and the height of the surrounding mountains. It is an important agricultural area, producing fresh fruits and vegetables year round. Jericho dates, bananas and citrus fruits are especially famous.
Hisham’s Palace is located on the northern bank of Wadi Nueima, approximately two kilometers north of Jericho in the Jordan Valley, and is identified with the ruins of Khirbet al-Mafjar. On the basis of epigraphic materials, archaeologists think that the site was built by Caliph Hisham bin Abd el-Malik (r. 724 to 743 AD), and later decorated by his heir Al-Walid II between 743 and 744 AD.
The site was not the official residence of the caliph but was used as a winter resort. The spectacular audience hall and bath were destroyed in a severe earthquake in 749 AD, but other areas of the site, including the palace, remained until the tenth century. The northern area of the site served as an agricultural estate during the Umayyad and Abbasid periods, around 730–950 AD.
The great audience hall is located north of the palace. The great treasure of this hall was a pavement of about 30 x 30 meters, with 38 colorful mosaic carpets. The building once supported a series of vaults and domes. The vaulting system was of brick and rested on 16 massive stone piers arranged in four rows. This building was decorated with carved stucco, stone reliefs and statues. Its upper parts included painted frescoes, and a long pool was added along its southern side. The caliph’s statue stood above the main entrance. The caliph himself probably sat in the recess at the far end of the hall. The thermal bath was added to the north side of the audience hall. (Reuters/Travel Palestine)