Qasr Al Mushatta

Amman


These partially reconstructed 8th-century ruins are of the winter palace of Umayyad caliph Walid II, planned as a lavish castle but never finished. They're a short drive from the international airport, but you'll need your own transport (or hired taxi) to reach them. If you ignore the occasional jet soaring overhead, the extensive site hints at the vast potential of the caliph’s grand vision – one cut short in 744, when he was assassinated by angry labourers on the site.

Sadly, the elaborate carvings on the palace facade are now in the Pergamon Museum in Berlin, a 1903 gift to Kaiser Wilhelm of the Ottoman Sultan Abd al Hamid of Turkey. Mushatta was also partially destroyed by earthquakes, and most of the columns and watchtowers have long since collapsed. However, the huge exterior wall and carved facades still hint at the original grandeur and beauty of the site.

Right of the entrance are the ruins of a mosque, with its obviously rebuilt mihrab (niche in mosque, indicating direction of Mecca). The northern sections have the remains of a vaulted audience hall and residences. Segmented pillars lie scattered around like broken vertebrae. One unusual feature of the site is that the vaults were made from burnt bricks (an uncommon material in buildings of this style) rather than black basalt. Don't miss the ancient toilets (complete with drains), which are located at the back of the hall.

If you’re driving from Amman, turn right at the roundabout by the Airport Hotel. Make sure you have your passport ready to show the guards at the security checkpoints along the route. Leave your passport at the first security check and then follow the road for 12km around the perimeter of the airport, turning right by the second and third check posts.

A potential alternative is to charter a taxi from the airport (JD17) – an idea if you have a long wait for a flight – or combine a taxi to the airport with a visit to the ruins. A visit can be made from the airport in an hour.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Amman attractions

1. Qasr Mushash

0.04 MILES

Once a grand Umayyad settlement, today Mushash lies in ruin. However, it’s still possible to get a sense of the original layout, and there are a number of…

2. Cave of the Seven Sleepers

10.09 MILES

The legend of the ‘seven sleepers’ involves seven Christian boys who were persecuted by the Roman Emperor Trajan, then escaped to a cave and slept there…

3. Tell Hesban

12.61 MILES

Amateur archaeologists will like Tell Hesban, 9km north of Madaba. Over the centuries this strategic hill has been a Bronze Age settlement, a Hellenistic…

4. Visitors Centre

12.68 MILES

This helpful interpretative centre makes a good starting point for visiting the highlights of Madaba. It's worth a visit in its own right, as it's housed…

7. Archaeological Park II

12.79 MILES

Walkways lead around the ruins of this late-6th-century luxury private mansion, destroyed by fire and earthquake around 749. The walkways offer a good…

8. St George’s Church & Mosaic Map

12.82 MILES

This rather modest 19th-century Greek Orthodox church houses a treasure of early Christianity. Imagine the excitement in 1884 when Christian builders came…

  • placement: superzone
  • path: Destinations/POIs/superzone
  • possible size: [970, 250], [970, 90], [728, 90], [1, 1],
  • targeting:
    {
      "url": "jordan/amman/attractions/qasr-al-mushatta/a/poi-sig/1459020/361068",
      "destination": "Amman",
      "continent": "Middle-East",
      "country": "Jordan",
      "city": "Amman",
      "position": "superzone"
    }