The Palestinian Ministry of Tourism is putting the final touches to the inauguration of the largest mosaic panel in the world, with an area of ​​827 square meters, located in the palace of the Umayyad Caliph Hisham bin Abdul Malik in the city of Jericho, in the eastern West Bank.

Over the course of 4 and a half years of work, the ministry was able - with funding from the Japanese International Cooperation Agency (JICA), and at a cost of $12 million - to build a roof with an area of ​​about 2500 square meters, after the original roof was destroyed by an earthquake that struck the site in 749 AD.

Inside the hall, internal corridors (bridges) were built for visitors and tourists, with the aim of enjoying watching the painting without touching the mosaic.

The Palestinian Ministry of Tourism is putting the final touches to the inauguration of the largest mosaic panel in the world (Anatolia)

painting ceiling project

Iyad Hamdan, director of the Tourism Ministry office in Jericho, says that the painting is "one of the largest mosaic paintings in the Middle East and in the world."

He added that the painting ceiling project is "one of the unique projects in the field of cultural heritage preservation in the world."

He pointed out that the project aims to "open the painting to tourists, and preserve it from the effects of the weather, such as high heat and rain, and others."

4 and a half years of work to build a roof that protects the mosaic panel in Jericho (Anatolia)

The largest painting in the world

The painting - according to Hamdan - is "a historical and archaeological treasure, and it consists of 38 connected mosaic carpets, rich in geometric, plant and animal details, and it was professionally formulated and painted, and 21 colors of stones were used in its drawing."

He pointed out that the stones used form the mosaic of the Palestinian land, as they were taken from the various Palestinian regions, and tell the history of the Palestinian people.

According to Hamdan, maintenance and restoration work has been carried out on the carpets, and some other work is supposed to be completed on them.

The painting was discovered in the early thirties of the last century, and over the past years, he kept it under the sand for fear of weather factors, and revealed it for some time in 2010, then it was buried again.

The painting was discovered in the early thirties of the last century, and he kept it under the sand for fear of weather factors (Anatolia).

Leap in tourism

Hamdan expected that the project - with its opening to tourists and visitors - would constitute a qualitative leap in the number of tourists and visitors to Palestine and Jericho in particular.

He added, "In 2016, we unveiled the painting, and it was opened to tourists and visitors for only one month, and as a result the number of tourists increased by 900% compared to the same period in 2015."

In 2016, the site was opened to tourists and visitors for only one month, so the number of tourists increased by 900% (Anatolia)

The director of the Ministry of Tourism office indicated that the site can accommodate hundreds of tourists at one time, but the ministry has prepared a special system to maintain distance, due to the continuing pandemic of the Corona virus.

And the dome - according to the Palestinian official - is built according to high specifications in accuracy, and is resistant to earthquakes.

The Ministry of Tourism expects that the tourism movement in Palestine will start at the beginning of next November, with the start of the Christmas season in Bethlehem, the birthplace of Jesus.

Hisham ibn Abd al-Malik Palace was built in 743 AD, as a winter residence to moderate the temperature of the Jericho region in winter (Anatolia)

Hisham's Palace on the Heritage List

According to a media bulletin, issued by the Palestinian Ministry of Tourism, the painting is located on the floor of the bathroom of Hisham bin Abd al-Malik Palace.

The palace of Hisham bin Abd al-Malik was built in 743 AD at the end of his reign, as a winter residence for the Caliph, due to the mild temperature of Jericho and the Palestinian Jordan Valley in winter.

Jericho is the lowest area on Earth (258 meters below sea level), which makes it hot in summer and moderate in winter.

The original roof was destroyed by an earthquake that struck the site in 749 AD (Anatolia)

The palace is located two kilometers to the north of the city of Jericho.

It was constructed at the time of two floors;

The first consisted of service and guard rooms, and the other floor was where the Caliph lived.

The palace - before it was destroyed by an earthquake - contained many facilities, such as the fountain area, two mosques, and the reception hall (the large bathroom).

The Ministry of Tourism previously indicated that the palace was supplied with water from nearby springs through open channels, which used to pour water into the palace tanks.

Building a roof covering an area of ​​about 2,500 square meters at a cost of $12 million with Japanese funding (Anatolia)

In 749 AD, an earthquake struck the region of Palestine, centered on the city of Jericho, and led to the destruction of large parts of the palace, including the ceiling of the bathroom (in which the mosaic panel is located).

In one of the corners of the palace, a huge stone star was erected, which was the window of one of the rooms of the second floor, but due to the demolition of the palace, the stones mixed with each other, and it was reconstructed in the renovations that took place in the thirties of the last century.

ISESCO included Hisham Palace on its Heritage List (Anatolia)

The Palestinian Ministry of Tourism built a museum on the site of the palace that includes many of the tools that were found, in which visitors are shown documentaries about the place and the excavations and excavations witnessed by it.

Last July, the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ISESCO) included Hisham Palace on its heritage list.