With a geographical location bordering Syria to the north and Iraq to the east, and 260 km from the capital Amman, the Jordanian city of Al-Ruwaished in the Mafraq Governorate still retains an ancient historical relic.

In the depths of its desert and at a distance of 22 km from the city, the archaeological "Burqa Palace" stands witness to the depth of history in it, which dates back to the year 700 AD, during the reign of Al-Walid bin Abdul Malik (668-715 AD).

Burqa is one of the ancient Islamic palaces built from the black basalt stones available in that area.

The journey to reach the place was not easy. Anatolia, in coordination with the (governmental) Department of Antiquities, was able to visit the place and identify its most prominent features and the idea of ​​choosing a place to build it.

A rich history

Despite the fall of most of its stones due to weather factors in addition to tampering with them, the palace still tells, with its remaining features, the story of an Islamic history and the ingenuity of the people of the past in selecting sensitive places to ensure security and maintain the stability of the Caliphate.

Before the collapse of parts of the palace, it consisted of 3 different floors, and another residence beside it, equipped with stone and pottery channels to provide cold and hot water in it.

Adjacent to the palace is a large pond (a water gorge) whose history is unknown due to weather factors, and the people of the region say that the people of Iraq and Syria have been visiting it since ancient times to supply water.

A large number of various flint tools were found in the place, especially axes, scrapers, knives, blades, and arrowheads of various shapes and sizes, in addition to basalt pestles for crushing grain.

Pottery dating back to the Iron Bronze Age, a large number of physical evidence dating back to the Arab Nabataean civilization, some Roman architectural systems, and ancient Arab inscriptions and writings dating back to the first centuries AD were also discovered in the place.

A love story about fishing and architecture

Director of Mafraq Antiquities Imad Obeidat told Anatolia, "The palace is called Burqa, in reference to Al-Waleed bin Abdul-Malik who was fond of hunting and using trained Arab falcons to hunt rabbits and small deer, as well as geese and ducks, especially in the spring."

Obeidat explained that the palace contains two inscriptions, one of which confirms that it was reconstructed during the time of Al-Waleed bin Abdul-Malik.

He added, "The burqa is the one that is placed on the eyes of the falcon before it goes to its prey, and now the men of the Arabian Peninsula, the Arab Gulf states and the countries of Central Asia also use it to hunt animals and birds."

He continued, "The total area of ​​the palace is 35 by 37 meters from the north and south, and the site is rectangular in shape surrounded by a group of small rectangular rooms on the north and south sides."

The Jordanian city of Al-Ruwaished, in the Mafraq Governorate, still retains an ancient historical relic in the depths of its desert (Anatolia).

He pointed out that the palace "was inaugurated in 3 stages, namely the Roman Nabatean, Byzantine and early Umayyad", noting that "there is a circular room with a radius of two meters in the palace. architecture".

The arrival of tourists to the palace

Obeidat stated that the palace contains 3 towers in the northern, southern and western corners. It is noted that there are 3 small rooms in the center of the palace in the heavenly arena, and to the south of it is a water tank connected to a canal to bring water from the nearby dam.

And he added, "Most likely, this tower was used to monitor the roads coming from Mesopotamia and Syria, going to the Sirhan Road to the Arabian Peninsula, and to guard the waters filled with blessings and treachery."

The archaeological "Burqa Palace" bears witness to the depth of history, as it was built in the year 700 AD (Anatolia).

He added, "It is believed that the Persian Sassanid invasion destroyed the site in the seventh century AD, between the years 614 and 628 AD, and it was reused by the Umayyads, especially the Umayyad prince Al-Walid bin Abdul Malik."

Obeidat considered that the distance prevents tourists from reaching the palace, explaining that the Department of Antiquities is seeking to implement many projects through which it rebuilds and restores the place.

He said that the palace was mentioned in many studies, including the writings of the British traveler Gertrude Bell on her trip in 1913, where she described the palace and took some pictures of it, and the University of Edinburgh published a study about it in 1988.

According to official statistics, Jordan includes about 100,000 archaeological and tourist sites, distributed in 12 governorates in the Kingdom.