Dictionary of islamic architecture

East-West Influence
Two buildings dated to the later Umayyad period
(probably the reign of Walid II 743–4) represent a
combination of eastern and western influences. The
most obvious demonstration of these mixed
influences is the use of baked brick for vaults and
walls and dressed stone masonry for foundations
and architectural details. The most famous of these
buildings is Qasr Mshatta located 25 km to the south
of Amman. This consists of a large square enclosure
with four semi-circular buttress towers. The best-
known feature of this palace is the southern façade
which consists of a delicately carved stone frieze
incorporating animals and plant motifs within a
geometric scheme of giant triangles. Internally the
building is divided into three longitudinal strips;
only the central strip (running north-south) was
developed and contains within it the entrance, the
central courtyard and the audience hall. The
audience hall consists of a triple-apsed room
covered by a large brick dome. The layout of the
palace immediately recalls that of the Abbasid
palaces of Iraq such as Ukhaidhir and has led some
scholars to suggest an Abbasid date for the
structure. Byzantine elements are also present,
however, most notably in the basilical arrangement
of the approach to the triple-apsed room and in the
motifs of the stonework
Although Qasr al-Tuba is in many respects similar
to Mshatta it is much simpler in its decoration and is
generally thought to be closer to a caravanserai than
a palace. Qasr al-Tuba is the largest of the desert
castles and consists of two identical halves, the
southern half of which appears never to have been
built. Stacks of bricks on the floor testify to the
unfinished nature of the building, although it is
possible that some of the structure was originally
built out of mud brick. Originally there were some
fine carved stone lintels at Tuba but these have now
disappeared.
Medieval Period
Standing remains of the Abbasid and Fatimid period
in Jordan are rare and architectural remains are
mostly limited to archaeological excavations. The
reasons for this are complex and related to the fall of
the Umayyads and Jordan’s peripheral position in
relation to the Abbasid and Fatimid caliphates. The
only place where significant architectural remains
from this period have been uncovered are at Aqaba
on Jordan’s Red Sea coast. This town seems to have
reached its peak of prosperity during the Abbasid
and Fatimid periods, when it was a trading port in
contact with Iraq, Yemen, Egypt and China.
Excavations at the site have revealed a walled town
(160 by 120 m approximately) with rounded buttress
towers and four gateways providing access to the
two main streets. Sometime during the Fatimid
period mud brick replaced cut stone as the building
material for many of the houses.
The Ayyubid and Mamluk periods are marked
by the intrusion of the Crusaders who built castles
at Karak, Shawbak and Petra to control movement
between Egypt and Syria. As a result of the Crusader
presence most of the well-known buildings from this
period are castles and forts. Examples of Islamic forts
can be seen at Azraq, Ajlun, Jise and Qasr Shebib
(the Crusader castles at Karak and Shawbak were
also remodelled during this period). The best
example of medieval fortification can be seen at
Qal
at Rabad (Ajlun) built in 1184–5. This consists of
several thick walled towers with V-shaped arrow
slits linked by curtain walls. The masonry of the
castle consists of large blocks similar to those used
by the Crusaders at Karak and Shawbak.
In addition to the large castles several smaller
forts survive from the medieval period. These were
either built to protect the road system or as signal
posts. Probably the most important route in Jordan
Mamluk mosque at Pella, Jordan (after Bishe)

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Jordan (Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan)
was the pilgrimage route from Damascus to Mecca;
several forts on this route have survived, notably
the forts at Jise and Qasr Shebib in Zerka. Related to
these forts is the Mamluk fortified khan at Aqaba.
This is a rectangular structure with circular corner
towers and a deep protected entrance. The form of
the arch above the entrance recalls the architecture
of Mamluk Egypt with its ablaq masonry and
horseshoe arch.
Later Islamic Architecture
The best-known examples of early Ottoman
architecture in Jordan are the Hajj forts which were
built to protect the pilgrimage route from Damascus
to Mecca. The earliest of the these forts were built in
the sixteenth century during the reign of Suleyman
the Magnificent. These were small square structures
with large decorated arrow slits, projecting
machicolations and large crenellated parapets. In the
late eighteenth century the fort network was
expanded to counter increased bedouin raids. Forts
of this period are more functional and have small
gun slits instead of large arrow slits, with projecting
corner towers to increase the field of fire.
Other early Ottoman buildings in Jordan are
difficult to date so precisely, although the fortified
farmsteads at Yadudeh and Udruh probably both
date from the eighteenth century.
The best examples of nineteenth-century
architecture in Jordan can be seen at al-Salt west of
Amman and at Umm Qeis north of Irbid. The
architecture of both towns shows strong Palestinian
influence. Salt in particular shares many features
with Nablus. Amman, however, differs from the
other cities in north Jordan as it was settled by
Circassian refugees. Characteristic features of
Circassian houses are the use of wood, the
introduction of chimneys and small rooms.
Several mosques of the medieval period are
known in Jordan, the finest of which was the twelfth-
century structure at Mazar, near Mut’ah (this has now
been destroyed). Mamluk mosques can also be seen
at Pella and in the fort at Azraq; these are rectangular
structures with flat roofs resting on arches supported
by columns.