Khirbat al-Minya
Encyclopedia
Khirbat al-Minya is an Umayyad
-built palace in the eastern Galilee
, Israel
, located about 200 metres (656.2 ft) west of the northern end of the Lake Tiberias
. It was erected as a qasr
complex, with a palace, mosque, and bath built by a single patron.
assumed the role of caliph.
Khirbat al-Minya served a number of purposes, including as local administrative center for a subregion of the Jund al-Urdunn
("District of Jordan") and as a contact point for 'Umar and local Arab tribes. It also could have served as a caravanserai for merchants traveling along the Sea of Galilee or northeast from the lake shore to the coast. Another purpose of Khirbat al-Minya was a winter retreat for the governor of Tiberias or an alternative for the traditional summer retreat for the governor at Baysan.
Khirbat al-Minya was abandoned at an uncertain date, but was later temporarily resettled. There is evidence that the palace was in use until at least the end of the Umayyad period in 750 CE. Moreover, based on the stratification established in the western part of the site and the discovery of Mamluk
pottery in 1959, the palace was settled again during the late Mamluk
period (14th-15th centuries). It is likely that the building was used as a khan
in this period, due to its position at a cross-road between the main Damascus-Cairo (Via Maris
) route and a secondary route to Safad via Khan Jubb Yusuf
. A Khan al-Minya was constructed 300 m due north of the palace by Saif al-Din Tankiz (d. 1340), the Mamluk governor of Syria, during the reign of Al-Nasir Muhammad
. Parts of Khirbat al-Minya might have been used as building material for the new khan; baked bricks and a marble capital found during excavations of the khan were assumed to be taken from the palace.
in collaboration with the Israel Antiquities Authority
. In 1960 the site was excavated by an Israeli-American expedition, intending to refine the chronology and the plan of the palace, and in 2000 it was proposed that Khirbat al-Minya should become a World Heritage Site
.
The center of the structure is occupied by a colonnaded courtyard with twin staircases giving access to an upper floor level. The rooms which surrounded the courtyard differ in size and arrangement and included a mosque, numerous rooms with mosaics, and a throne room. The mosque is located in the southeastern corner and is divided into twelve bays supported on piers. Next to the mosque is a triple-aisled basilica hall. Like other Umayyad desert or country palaces, such as Qasr al-Heer al-Gharbi in the Syrian Desert
and Khirbat al-Mafjar near Jericho
, Khirbat al-Minya followed the Umayyad model of a five-room bait ("house"), flanking the basilica hall. To the north are the residential quarters.
The building is constructed of finely dressed limestone
blocks laid in regular courses with a lower course of black basalt
stones. The mosque had a simple decoration, but the domed gateway chamber and the southern rooms were richly decorated. The top of the walls were decorated with large stepped merlon
s and the interior was decorated with a variety of glass and stone mosaics. Marble panels covered the dadoes of the walls and stone mosaics combined with glass cubes were set in geometric carpet-like patterns on the floors of the five southern rooms. A well-preserved floor mosaic has been discovered in the western part of the palace.
Umayyad
The Umayyad Caliphate was the second of the four major Arab caliphates established after the death of Muhammad. It was ruled by the Umayyad dynasty, whose name derives from Umayya ibn Abd Shams, the great-grandfather of the first Umayyad caliph. Although the Umayyad family originally came from the...
-built palace in the eastern Galilee
Galilee
Galilee , is a large region in northern Israel which overlaps with much of the administrative North District of the country. Traditionally divided into Upper Galilee , Lower Galilee , and Western Galilee , extending from Dan to the north, at the base of Mount Hermon, along Mount Lebanon to the...
, Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
, located about 200 metres (656.2 ft) west of the northern end of the Lake Tiberias
Sea of Galilee
The Sea of Galilee, also Kinneret, Lake of Gennesaret, or Lake Tiberias , is the largest freshwater lake in Israel, and it is approximately in circumference, about long, and wide. The lake has a total area of , and a maximum depth of approximately 43 m...
. It was erected as a qasr
Qasr
Qasr may refer to:* the Arabic for "castle" , see Ksar* Qasr Libya - a town in Libya* Qasr Ahmed - the port for the Libyan city of Misurata* Qasr Amra - a desert castle in Jordan* Qasr Azraq - a desert castle in Jordan...
complex, with a palace, mosque, and bath built by a single patron.
Construction
Khirbat al-Minya was built during the reign of the Umayyad caliph al-Walid I (705-715 CE) and an inscription on a stone found at the site mentions his name. The supposed patron of the palace was al-Walid's son 'Umar ibn al-Walid, who served as the governor of Tiberias during his father's reign, but fell out of favor when his uncle Sulayman ibn Abd al-MalikSulayman ibn Abd al-Malik
Sulayman bin Abd al-Malik was an Umayyad caliph who ruled from 715 until 717. His father was Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan, and he was a younger brother of the previous caliph, al-Walid I.-Early years:...
assumed the role of caliph.
Khirbat al-Minya served a number of purposes, including as local administrative center for a subregion of the Jund al-Urdunn
Jund al-Urdunn
Jund al-Urdunn was one of the five districts of Bilad ash-Sham during the period of the Arab Caliphates. It was established under the Rashidun and its capital was Tiberias throughout its rule by the Umayyad and Abbasid caliphates. It encompassed southern Mount Lebanon, the Galilee, the southern...
("District of Jordan") and as a contact point for 'Umar and local Arab tribes. It also could have served as a caravanserai for merchants traveling along the Sea of Galilee or northeast from the lake shore to the coast. Another purpose of Khirbat al-Minya was a winter retreat for the governor of Tiberias or an alternative for the traditional summer retreat for the governor at Baysan.
Khirbat al-Minya was abandoned at an uncertain date, but was later temporarily resettled. There is evidence that the palace was in use until at least the end of the Umayyad period in 750 CE. Moreover, based on the stratification established in the western part of the site and the discovery of Mamluk
Mamluk
A Mamluk was a soldier of slave origin, who were predominantly Cumans/Kipchaks The "mamluk phenomenon", as David Ayalon dubbed the creation of the specific warrior...
pottery in 1959, the palace was settled again during the late Mamluk
Mamluk
A Mamluk was a soldier of slave origin, who were predominantly Cumans/Kipchaks The "mamluk phenomenon", as David Ayalon dubbed the creation of the specific warrior...
period (14th-15th centuries). It is likely that the building was used as a khan
Caravanserai
A caravanserai, or khan, also known as caravansary, caravansera, or caravansara in English was a roadside inn where travelers could rest and recover from the day's journey...
in this period, due to its position at a cross-road between the main Damascus-Cairo (Via Maris
Via Maris
Via Maris is the modern name for an ancient trade route, dating from the early Bronze Age, linking Egypt with the northern empires of Syria, Anatolia and Mesopotamia — modern day Iran, Iraq, Turkey and Syria....
) route and a secondary route to Safad via Khan Jubb Yusuf
Jubb Yusuf
Jubb Yusuf was a Palestinian village depopulated in the 1948 Arab-Israeli War.Situated in rocky terrain northwest of Lake Tiberias, the village was associated with a nearby well, Jubb Yussef , which was the site of a khan or caravan stopping place for centuries.-History:Under the Ottoman Empire,...
. A Khan al-Minya was constructed 300 m due north of the palace by Saif al-Din Tankiz (d. 1340), the Mamluk governor of Syria, during the reign of Al-Nasir Muhammad
Al-Nasir Muhammad
Al-Nasir Muhammad b. Cairo 1285, d...
. Parts of Khirbat al-Minya might have been used as building material for the new khan; baked bricks and a marble capital found during excavations of the khan were assumed to be taken from the palace.
Modern rediscovery
The palace was first excavated in 1932 by German archaeologist, A.E. Mader, who originally thought they were excavating a Roman fort. In 1936–9, it was also excavated by A. M. Schneider and O. Puttrich-Reignard. During July–August 1959, the western section of the palace was excavated by O. GrabarOleg Grabar
Oleg Grabar was a French-born art historian and archeologist, who spent most of his career in the United States, as a leading figure in the field of Islamic art and architecture.-Academic career:...
in collaboration with the Israel Antiquities Authority
Israel Antiquities Authority
The Israel Antiquities Authority is an independent Israeli governmental authority responsible for enforcing the 1978 Law of Antiquities. The IAA regulates excavation and conservation, and promotes research...
. In 1960 the site was excavated by an Israeli-American expedition, intending to refine the chronology and the plan of the palace, and in 2000 it was proposed that Khirbat al-Minya should become a World Heritage Site
World Heritage Site
A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a place that is listed by the UNESCO as of special cultural or physical significance...
.
Architecture
The palace of Khirbat al-Minya is contained within an irregular rectangular enclosure (66 by 73 meters) oriented north-south, facing the four cardinal points. Like other Umayyad palaces it has round towers at its corners and semi-circular towers in the middle of each wall except the eastern wall where a monumental entrance was located. The main gate in the middle of the eastern wall is formed by two projecting half-round towers separated by the arch of the gateway.The center of the structure is occupied by a colonnaded courtyard with twin staircases giving access to an upper floor level. The rooms which surrounded the courtyard differ in size and arrangement and included a mosque, numerous rooms with mosaics, and a throne room. The mosque is located in the southeastern corner and is divided into twelve bays supported on piers. Next to the mosque is a triple-aisled basilica hall. Like other Umayyad desert or country palaces, such as Qasr al-Heer al-Gharbi in the Syrian Desert
Syrian Desert
The Syrian Desert , also known as the Syro-Arabian desert is a combination of steppe and true desert that is located in the northern Arabian Peninsula covering 200,000 square miles . also the desert is very rocky and flat...
and Khirbat al-Mafjar near Jericho
Jericho
Jericho ; is a city located near the Jordan River in the West Bank of the Palestinian territories. It is the capital of the Jericho Governorate and has a population of more than 20,000. Situated well below sea level on an east-west route north of the Dead Sea, Jericho is the lowest permanently...
, Khirbat al-Minya followed the Umayyad model of a five-room bait ("house"), flanking the basilica hall. To the north are the residential quarters.
The building is constructed of finely dressed limestone
Limestone
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
blocks laid in regular courses with a lower course of black basalt
Basalt
Basalt is a common extrusive volcanic rock. It is usually grey to black and fine-grained due to rapid cooling of lava at the surface of a planet. It may be porphyritic containing larger crystals in a fine matrix, or vesicular, or frothy scoria. Unweathered basalt is black or grey...
stones. The mosque had a simple decoration, but the domed gateway chamber and the southern rooms were richly decorated. The top of the walls were decorated with large stepped merlon
Merlon
In architecture, a merlon forms the solid part of an embattled parapet, sometimes pierced by embrasures. The space between two merlons is usually called a crenel, although those later designed and used for cannons were called embrasures.-Etymology:...
s and the interior was decorated with a variety of glass and stone mosaics. Marble panels covered the dadoes of the walls and stone mosaics combined with glass cubes were set in geometric carpet-like patterns on the floors of the five southern rooms. A well-preserved floor mosaic has been discovered in the western part of the palace.
External links
- Khirbet Al-Minya Dr. Moslih Kanaaneh.
- Khirbet Minya Archnet Digital Library.