Overview

Bibliography

Khirbat al-Mafjar is the site of a Umayyad palace that has traditionally be associated with the caliph Hisham, but was more likely built by his nephew el-Walid, who was assassinated in 744. el-Walid's assassination explains why the palace was never completed. The palace complex was built in an enclosed park (a demesne) on the north bank of the Wadi en-Nu'eima, north of the modern city of Jericho. The pools and bath of the palace are fed by aqueducts from the springs at 'Ein ed-Duk and 'Ein en-Nu'eima.

The palace consists of a large forecourt that extends the length of the palace and has a large ornamental pool in the center. The main part of the palace consists of four series of rooms around a central courtyard. The rooms were used for servants or guests, stables, and storage. The primary residence for el-Walid was on the second floor. A small mosque is located on the first floor in the middle of the southern row of rooms, but the palace complex also had a large mosque to the north of the main building. Neither the main building nor the mosque was completed in antiquity. Adjacent to the mosque is a large bath, which was probably the first building at the site and the only one completed. The distinguishing feature of the bath is a large vaulted pool, 30 square meters in size, which functioned as the frigidarium. The palace complex was abandoned shorty after el-Walid's death, and was destroyed by an earthquake in 749.

The excavation of Khirbat al-Mafjar began in 1935 under the direction of D. C. Baramki, and continued through the Second World War, under the auspices of the Antiquities Department of Palestine.