Qusayr 'Amra
Historic site in Jordan / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Dear Wikiwand AI, let's keep it short by simply answering these key questions:
Can you list the top facts and stats about Qasr Amra?
Summarize this article for a 10 year old
Qusayr 'Amra or Quseir Amra, sometimes also named Qasr Amra (Arabic: قصر عمرة, romanized: Qaṣr ‘Amrah, lit. 'small qasr of 'Amra'), is the best-known of the desert castles located in present-day eastern Jordan. It was built some time between 723 and 743, by Walid Ibn Yazid, the future Umayyad caliph Walid II,[1] whose dominance of the region was rising at the time. It is considered one of the most important examples of early Islamic art and architecture.
Qusayr 'Amra, Qasr Amra | |
---|---|
Native name Arabic: قصر عمرة | |
Location | Zarqa Governorate, Jordan |
Coordinates | 31.8017°N 36.5873°E / 31.8017; 36.5873 |
Elevation | 520m |
Built | 743 A.D. |
Official name | Quseir Amra |
Type | Cultural |
Criteria | i, iii, iv |
Designated | 1985 (9th session) |
Reference no. | 327 |
Region | Arab States |
The building is actually the remnant of a larger complex that included an actual castle, meant as a royal retreat, without any military function, of which only the foundation remains. What stands today is a small country cabin. The foundation has a simple layout with a rectangular audience hall, hydraulic structures, and a bathhouse. The bathhouse is also one of the oldest surviving remains of a hammam in the historic Muslim world.[2][3][4]
It is most notable for the frescoes that remain mainly on the ceilings inside, which depict, among others, a group of rulers, hunting scenes, dancing scenes containing nude women, working craftsmen, the recently discovered "cycle of Jonah", and, above one bath chamber, the first known representation of heaven on a hemispherical surface, where the mirror-image of the constellations is accompanied by the figures of the zodiac. This has led to the designation of Qusayr 'Amra as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.[5][6][7][1][8][9]
That status, and its location along Jordan's major east–west highway, relatively close to Amman, have made it a frequent tourist destination. A preservation project that began in 2010 involves both removing old maintenance attempts and implementing new ones to support the site better.[10]