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About

castle

palace

Jordan

Saeed Arida

Drawings of Islamic Monuments

https://admin.archnet.org/rails/active_storage/blobs/redirect/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaHBBbmJrIiwiZXhwIjpudWxsLCJwdXIiOiJibG9iX2lkIn19--0561141f0802878a8fd8c53c45bf051962236329/IMG13459.jpg

architectural drawing

IMG13459

Qasr Burqu'

Palace of Burqu

Variant

Qasr Burqu

Qasr Burku

Qasr al-Burqu

قصر برقع

Original

The dynasty of Umayyad caliphs was based in Syria and ruled the Islamic world from 660-750/39-132 AH
 


<table border="0" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="3" width="100%"><tbody><tr> <th> </th></tr></tbody></table>



 

 

 

 
 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Under the Umayyads the Islamic state was transformed 
from a theocracy to an Arab monarchy. In 661/40 AH Ali, the last Orthodox 
caliph was murdered and Mu'awiya, the governor of Syria, became the 
first Umayyad caliph. Mu'awiya provided the centralization essential for
 the survival and continuing expansion of the Arab Empire. At its height
 Umayyad rule extended from the Atlantic coast of North Africa to India 
and from Central Asia to the Yemen. The administration of conquered 
provinces was usually left intact, so that the tax accounts for Syria, 
for example, continued to be kept in Greek. Socially, however, Umayyad 
rule was characterized by the domination of Arabs.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Sculptures are found at a number of desert palaces, most notably 
Khirbet al-Mafjar and Qasr al-Hayr al-Gharbi. Both eastern and western 
sculptural traditions were used, although the medium was usually stucco 
rather than stone. Because stucco is not free-standing, sculptures were 
usually incorporated into some structural feature of a building such as 
the entrance.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The success of the Umayyad caliphate carried within it the seeds of 
its own destruction. Because the economic and social structure of the 
empire was dependent on the conquest of new lands, any setbacks or 
reverses caused resentment and dissatisfaction throughout the regime. 
Similarly the secular nature of the dynasty aroused opposition amongst 
those in favour of a more theocratic state. In 747/129 AH a revolution against 
the Umayyads began in Khurassan and soon spread throughout the eastern 
part of the empire. By 750/132 AH the Umayyad regime had been defeated to be 
replaced by the Abbasids who ruled from Iraq. Only one branch of the 
Umayyads survived by fleeing to Spain where the dynasty continued to 
rule until 1051/442 AH.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Almost all surviving Umayyad monuments are in Syria and Palestine
 whence the dynasty derived most of its support. As the Arabs did not 
have an architectural tradition suited to the needs of a great empire, 
they adopted the building methods of the defeated Sassanian and 
Byzantine empires. Because they ruled from Syria, Byzantine influence 
was stronger, although Sassanian elements became increasingly important.
 In many cases Byzantine or even Roman buildings were simply taken over 
with little or no modification. However, the conquests did provide some 
innovation both in terms of building types and in the prominence given 
to decoration.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The most important building projects undertaken during the 
Umayyad era included mosques, palaces and cities. Mosques were obviously
 an important element in the expansion of the Islamic state although the
 speed of the conquests meant that these were often temporary structures
 or converted churches. New cities were built in answer to specific 
requirements, such as the need for an administrative centre rather than 
for dynastic propaganda as in the Abbasid period. The most 
characteristic type of building is the 'Desert Palace' built as a 
residence for the ruling elite.
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The earliest Islamic cities were garrison towns such as Basra and
 Kufa, built as centres for the conquest of Khurassan and Central Asia. 
The Umayyads continued this policy of building cities which were little 
more than giant military camps, although significantly these were 
unfortified. The most important city of this type was Wasit built in 701/81 AH
 by Yussuf ibn al-Hajjaj the Umayyad governor of Iraq. Architecturally 
these cities were important because they were divided according to 
tribal groups, each with its own masjid, which prefigures similar 
divisions in later Arab cities. Trade was also a powerful stimulus for 
the foundation and growth of cities in the early Islamic period. The 
frontiers of the Islamic state were particularly conducive to the growth
 of cities in North Africa and in eastern Iran military camps quickly 
grew into trading cities.
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Mosques were an essential part of early Islamic government as 
they provided a meeting place at which important announcements could be 
made. Early on two separate mosque-building traditions developed; in 
Syria this was based on the conversion of churches whilst in Iraq 
mosques developed out of square enclosures used for prayer. The earliest
 Iraqi mosque for which we have archaeological evidence is the Friday 
mosque at Wasit built to a square plan with a hypostyle roof. The oldest
 Islamic building in the west is the Dome of the Rock built by Abd 
al-Malik in 691/71 AH. However, this building is a sanctuary rather than a 
mosque and its influence on later Islamic architecture is limited.
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;More important in terms of mosque development is the Great Mosque
 in Damascus built by the caliph al-Walid in 705/85 AH. This building is 
modelled on Syrian churches, which after the conquest were used as 
mosques. Churches were converted to mosques by blocking up the west door
 and piercing the north wall with doorways, creating a building with a 
lateral axis perpendicular to the direction of prayer. Mosques built in 
the same style as Damascus include Qasr al-Hayr, Qusayr Hallabat, Raqqa,
 Balis, Diyarbakir and Der'a. Other developments in religious 
architecture in the Umayyad period include the introduction of the 
mihrab and the minaret.
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;In secular building the most important constructions of the 
Umayyad period were the desert palaces of Syria and Palestine. Some of 
these buildings were new foundations, whilst others were Roman or 
Byzantine forts converted to meet the needs of the new Arab rulers. 
Significantly, most of these buildings were abandoned soon after the 
fall of the Umayyad regime and they remain as monuments to the wealth 
and tastes of the dynasty. Their size and scale vary enormously, from 
the small and lavishly decorated bath house of Qusayr Amrah to the great
 fortified city-palace of Qasr al-Hayr al-Sharqi. From the outside 
most of these buildings resemble fortresses; thus the main entrance of 
Qasr al-Hayr al-Sharqi is protected by two tall semi-circular towers and
 a machicolice. In some of the palaces the effect of the fortifications 
is softened by great decorative friezes, as at Mshatta, Qasr al-Hayr 
al-Gharbi and Khirbet al-Mafjar. Most of these palaces include a bath 
house and a mosque as well as living accommodation arranged according to
 the bayt system. Each palace comprised a number of bayts, each of which
 would house a family or tribal unit. There is very little 
differentiation between the rooms within each bayt, so they were 
probably used simply as shelters in a similar manner to a bedouin tent 
with no permanent fixtures.
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The building techniques employed by the Umayyads were as diverse 
as the regions they conquered, so that major projects would employ 
workmen of several different nationalities. At its most conservative 
Umayyad architecture is indistinguishable from either Byzantine or 
Sassanian work but usually there is a combination of eastern and western
 elements which produce an unmistakably Islamic building. One of the 
best examples of this mixture is to be found at Mshatta where the walls 
are of cut stone in the Syrian tradition, the vaults are constructed in 
the Mesopotamian fashion and the decorative carving is a mixture of 
Byzantine and Coptic motifs.
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The most common building materials used in this period were 
stone, wood and brick. In Syria the majority of buildings were 
constructed out of cut stone or ashlar masonry. The quality of Umayyad 
masonry is generally very high with sharp edges, tight joins and large 
blocks producing buildings with a monumentallty unsurpassed in later 
Islamic building. Ashlar masonry is particularly suited to the 
construction of large vertical surfaces which can be enlivened by 
carving, as on the entrance facade at Mshatta. With the exception of 
basalt most stone is unsuitable for roofing large areas and only small 
spans could be roofed with barrel vaulting. In general Umayyad 
architecture avoided the problem of intersecting vaults so that most 
buildings were either made up of small units or roofed in wood.
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;In Syria, timber from the forests of Lebanon was often used for 
roofing. Roofs were either shallow, pitched structures supported by 
wooden trusses, as in the Great Mosque of Damascus, or occasionally 
wooden domes, as in the Dome of the Rock or the Aqsa Mosque. Timber was 
also used for centring, scaffolding, tie-beams and mosque furniture such
 as minbars.
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Although brick architecture was common to both the Byzantine and 
Sassanian empires its use in Umayyad architecture was limited to the 
eastern part of the empire. The availability of suitable stone in Syria 
meant that bricks were rarely used there even in Byzantine times. When 
bricks were used in Syria it is significant that the Mesopotamian style 
was used with thin joints, rather than the thick layers of mortar used 
in the Byzantine tradition. Examples of this arc found at Qasr al-Tuba 
and Mshatta. In Iraq both baked brick and mud brick were used 
extensively. Often baked brick was used for pillars, vaults and the 
lower courses of walls whilst mud brick was used for the upper parts. 
Examples can be seen at Wasit and Usqaf Bani Junayd.
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Umayyad architecture can be distinguished from that of earlier 
periods by its use of decorative techniques. None of these was new but 
the variety and scale of decorative effects was far greater than ever 
before. The most important decorative methods employed were mosaic, wall
 painting, sculpture and relief carving.
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Although it is probable that most Umayyad mosaics were made by 
Byzantine craftsmen, the motifs used and the choice of designs usually 
indicate an Islamic influence. The earliest Islamic mosaics are those in
 the Dome of the Rock. which consist of gold and polychrome tesserae in 
representations of Byzantine and Sassanian royal jewels. The Great 
Mosque in Damascus contains a very important group of mosaics depicting 
an ideal city which, significantly, is devoid of people. This is due to 
the ban on figural representation in mosques and is a good example of 
Byzantine art adapted for Islamic purposes. Even in the desert palaces 
mosaics usually avoided figures, although occasionally, as at Khirbet 
al-Mafjar, there are representations of animals.
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;In addition to floor mosaics most Umayyad palaces were decorated 
with frescoes, usually on walls, although occasionally on floors, as at 
Qasr al-Hayr al-Gharbi. The best preserved paintings are those at Qusayr
 Amrah which include representations of a great hunt, half-naked dancing
 girls and a famous portrait of six rulers of the world. 
 Petersen, Andrew.&nbsp;Dictionary of Islamic Architecture.&nbsp;London and New York: Routledge, 1999.

Qasr Burqu'Burqu, Jordan

Qasr Burqu'
Burqu, Jordan