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Al-Muwaqqar

Aerial view of Al-Muwaqqar Aerial view of Qasr Al-Muwaqqar

APAAME

  • Reference: APAAME_20141028_
    DLK-0157.jpg
  • Credit: Aerial Photographic Archive for Archaeology in the Middle East
  • Copyright: Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works


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Names

Transliterated Name Language Name
Al-Muwaqqar Arabic الموقر‎)
Qasr al-Muwaqqar Arabic الموقر‎)اققار
Introduction
ChatGPT Introduction

Al-Muwaqqar is situated approximately 30 km southeast of Amman, on a plateau that served as a transitional zone between the settled highlands and the desert steppe. The site is recorded by the 13th-century geographer Yaqut el-Hamawi in Muʿjam al-Buldan (Najjar, 1989), offering one of the earliest medieval references to the area.

The main feature of the site is the partially preserved structure of an Umayyad palace, or desert castle. Although heavily eroded, standing architectural elements include portions of a square enclosure wall, internal chambers, and fragments of ornamental stonework. These features place al-Muwaqqar among the eastern Jordanian Umayyad-era complexes such as Qasr Mushash and Qasr al-Hallabat.

Excavations conducted over a one-month period in 1989 by Najjar (1989) exposed parts of the palace interior, recovering decorated stone fragments and ceramic sherds. Although no formal stratigraphy was established, the architecture and material culture support its classification within the early 8th-century CE Umayyad building tradition.

Aerial Views and Plans
Aerial Views and Plans

  • Qasr Al-Muwaqqar in Google Earth
    Qasr Al-Muwaqqar in Google Earth

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  • Fig. 2 - Plan of Qasr Al-Muwaqqar
    Figure 2

    ADAJ (1989)
    from ADAJ (1989)

Chronology
Chat GPT Summary of Site Stratigraphy

Excavations in Area IV at al-Muwaqqar revealed two distinct destruction levels. The earliest corresponds to the Umayyad Palace, which was partly destroyed by the 749 CE Sabbatical Year Earthquake sequence. After this event, debris was cleared, and a second phase of occupation was established directly over the flagstone pavement, reusing the surviving structures. Abbasid pottery and lamps from stratified deposits, dated between 730 and 840 CE, confirm this reoccupation. A later destruction horizon, possibly linked to one of the mid-9th century earthquakes (847, 853–54, 859–60), marks the abandonment of the Palace. Stratigraphy thus indicates a sequence of Umayyad construction, earthquake destruction, Abbasid reoccupation with new walls, and eventual abandonment following another destructive seismic event.

1st Destruction

Discussion

Discussion

Rererences
Najjar (1989)

Notes from Najjar (1989)

Najjar (1989) identified two destruction levels in Area IV at al-Muwaqqar. He reports that “a second architectural phase and occupation was excavated in the Palace.” He notes that “it is obvious from Sq. D5 (W.12), A2 (W.4), and oven (tannur) loc.4, D3 (W.16, 17) and H14 (W.18, 19) that all these walls belong to a second phase of occupation.” Najjar continues: “It seems that after a partial destruction of the Palace by the earthquake of A.D. 747 [JW: 749 CE Sabbatical Year Earthquake sequence], the remains of the Palace were used by the local population. The destruction layer was cleared (the walls of the second phase were built directly above the flagstone pavement of the Umayyad Palace) and the Palace and its surrounding area (Sq. H14) were reoccupied.” He adds that “after one century and probably slightly later the Palace was abandoned after another destruction (earthquake?) later in the 9th century (during this period Jordan was struck by earthquakes three times in 847, 853–54, 859–60).”

Najjar (1989:309) also comments on the chronological evidence, stating: “Unfortunately the dating of the pottery is not based on coins, but on comparative architectural and typological evidence.” However, “beside the differences in shape and decoration we were fortunate enough to find some datable material in stratified deposits (small glazed jar and typical Abbasid lamps).”

Abbasid pottery was retrieved presumably above the lower destruction level and dated to between 730 and 840 CE.

Chat GPT Summary of Archaeoseismic Evidence – 1st Destruction

The earliest destruction level at al-Muwaqqar is attributed to the collapse of the Umayyad Palace during the 749 CE Sabbatical Year Earthquake sequence. Najjar reports that walls in several squares (D5, A2, D3, and H14) belong to a later rebuilding phase, indicating that the original palace had suffered significant damage. Following this destruction, the debris was cleared and the surviving flagstone pavement reused as the foundation for new walls. This stratigraphic relationship suggests a sudden and severe seismic event that interrupted Umayyad occupation. Although no absolute dating from coins was available, Abbasid pottery and lamps in stratified deposits helped constrain the reoccupation phase to between 730 and 840 CE, consistent with an earthquake in the mid-8th century. Thus, the first destruction horizon at al-Muwaqqar can be interpreted as potential archaeoseismic evidence for the 749 CE earthquake sequence, marking a clear rupture between Umayyad construction and Abbasid reoccupation.

2nd Destruction

Discussion

Discussion

Rererences
Najjar (1989)

Notes from Najjar (1989)

Najjar (1989) identified two destruction levels in Area IV at al-Muwaqqar. He states that “a second architectural phase and occupation was excavated in the Palace.” He explains that “it is obvious from Sq. D5 (W.12), A2 (W.4) and oven (tannur) loc.4, D3 (W.16, 17) and H14 (W.18, 19) that all these walls belong to a second phase of occupation.” Najjar continues: “It seems that after a partial destruction of the Palace by the earthquake of A.D. 747 [JW: 749 CE Sabbatical Year Earthquake sequence], the remains of the Palace were used by the local population. The destruction layer was cleared (the walls of the second phase were built directly above the flagstone pavement of the Umayyad Palace) and the Palace and its surrounding area (Sq. H14) were reoccupied.” He adds that “after one century and probably slightly later the Palace was abandoned after another destruction (earthquake?) later in the 9th century (during this period Jordan was struck by earthquakes three times in 847, 853–54, 859–60).”

Najjar (1989:309) also addressed the dating evidence, writing that “unfortunately the dating of the pottery is not based on coins, but on comparative architectural and typological evidence.” He adds: “Beside the differences in shape and decoration we were fortunate enough to find some datable material in stratified deposits (small glazed jar and typical Abbasid lamps).”

Chat GPT Summary of Archaeoseismic Evidence – 2nd Destruction

A later destruction horizon was identified above the Abbasid occupation levels at al-Muwaqqar. Najjar suggests that the Palace was abandoned after another major destructive event, probably an earthquake in the later 9th century. This interpretation is supported by the historical record, which documents several strong earthquakes in the region during this period, notably in 847, 853–54, and 859–60 CE. The stratigraphy shows that following the first rebuilding phase, occupation continued for about a century before this second episode of destruction forced the final abandonment of the Palace. Although precise chronological control is limited, the correlation of this upper destruction layer with the well-documented seismicity of the mid-9th century supports its identification as potential archaeoseismic evidence.

Seismic Effects
1st Destruction

Effect Location Image (s) Comments
Collapsed Walls inferred from rebuilding evidence Umayyad Palace the destruction layer was cleared (the walls of the second phase were built directly above the flagstone pavement of the Umayyad Palace) - Najjar (1989)

2nd Destruction

Effect Location Image (s) Comments
Destruction Umayyad Palace the Palace was abandoned after another destruction (earthquake?) later in the 9th century - Najjar (1989)

Intensity Estimates
1st Destruction

Effect Location Image (s) Comments Intensity
Collapsed Walls inferred from rebuilding evidence Umayyad Palace the destruction layer was cleared (the walls of the second phase were built directly above the flagstone pavement of the Umayyad Palace) - Najjar (1989) VIII +
The archeoseismic evidence requires a minimum Intensity of VIII (8) when using the Earthquake Archeological Effects chart of Rodríguez-Pascua et al (2013: 221-224).

2nd Destruction

Effect Location Image (s) Comments Intensity
Destruction - Collapsed Walls Umayyad Palace the Palace was abandoned after another destruction (earthquake?) later in the 9th century - Najjar (1989) VIII +
The archeoseismic evidence requires a minimum Intensity of VIII (8) when using the Earthquake Archeological Effects chart of Rodríguez-Pascua et al (2013: 221-224).

Notes and Further Reading
References

Articles and Books

Najjar (1989) Preliminary Report on the Results of the Excavations at al-Muwaqqar ADAJ 33 - in Arabic

Najjar, M. (1989) Abbasid Pottery from el-Muwaqqar ADAJ 33

Websites

Photos of Qasr al-Muwaqqar at ACOR

Photos of Qasr al-Muwaqqar at Manar Al-Athar (Oxford University)

Wikipedia pages

Al-Muwaqqar



Desert Castles