The Fortress of Al-Ukhaidir ( ar, حصن الأخيضر) or Abbasid palace of Ukhaider is located roughly 50 km south of

Karbala Karbala or Kerbala ( ar, كَرْبَلَاء, Karbalāʾ , , also ;) is a city in central Iraq, located about southwest of Baghdad, and a few miles east of Lake Milh, also known as Razzaza Lake. Karbala is the capital of Karbala Governor ...

Iraq Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq ...

. It is a large, rectangular fortress erected in 775 AD with a unique defensive style. Constructed by the

Abbasid The Abbasid Caliphate ( or ; ar, الْخِلَافَةُ الْعَبَّاسِيَّة, ') was the third caliphate to succeed the Islamic prophet Muhammad. It was founded by a dynasty descended from Muhammad's uncle, Abbas ibn Abdul-Mutta ...

caliph

As-Saffah Abū al-ʿAbbās ʿAbd Allāh ibn Muḥammad al-Saffāḥ ( ar, أبو العباس عبد الله بن محمد السفّاح‎; 721/722 – 8 June 754, al-Anbar) usually known as Abūʾl-ʿAbbās as-Saffāḥ or simply by his laqab As ...

's nephew

Isa ibn Musa ʿĪsā ibn Mūsā ibn Muḥammad ibn ʿAlī ibn ʿAbd Allāh ibn al-ʿAbbās () (–783/4) was a nephew of the first two Abbasid caliphs, as-Saffah () and al-Mansur (), and for a long time heir-apparent of the Caliphate, until he was superseded b ...

, Ukhaidir represents Abbasid architectural innovation in the structures of its courtyards, residences and mosque. Excavations at Ukhaidir were conducted in the early 20th century by

Gertrude Bell Gertrude Margaret Lowthian Bell, CBE (14 July 1868 – 12 July 1926) was an English writer, traveller, political officer, administrator, and archaeologist. She spent much of her life exploring and mapping the Middle East, and became highl ...

, who wrote the first major report on the remains. Ukhaidir was an important stop on regional trade routes, similar to

Atshan Atshan ( ar, عطشان) is a Syrian village located in the Suran Subdistrict in Hama District Hama District ( ar, منطقة حماة ') is a district ( mantiqah) administratively belonging to Hama Governorate, Syria. At the time of the 2004 Cen ...

and Mujdah.The Fortress of Al-Ukhaidar - UNESCO World Heritage Centre
/ref> The complex comprises a primary hall, a large

Iwan An iwan ( fa, ایوان , ar, إيوان , also spelled ivan) is a rectangular hall or space, usually vaulted, walled on three sides, with one end entirely open. The formal gateway to the iwan is called , a Persian term for a portal projectin ...

, a reception hall and servants quarters. The fortress exemplifies Abbasid architecture in

by demonstrating the "despotic and the pleasure-loving character of the dynasty" in its grand size but cramped living quarters. The current name could be related to ''Isma'il ibn Yusuf al-Ukhaidhir'' from

Banu Ukhaidhir The Banu 'l-Ukhaidhir ( ar, بنو الأخيضر), informally as Ukhaydhirites, was an Arab dynasty that ruled in Najd and al-Yamamah (central Arabia) from 867 to at least the mid-eleventh century. An Alid dynasty, they were descendants of Muham ...

who launched a rebellion against the

, then later he became the governor of

Kufa Kufa ( ar, الْكُوفَة ), also spelled Kufah, is a city in Iraq, about south of Baghdad, and northeast of Najaf. It is located on the banks of the Euphrates River. The estimated population in 2003 was 110,000. Currently, Kufa and Najaf a ...

with the support of

Qarmatians The Qarmatians ( ar, قرامطة, Qarāmiṭa; ) were a militant Isma'ili Shia movement centred in al-Hasa in Eastern Arabia, where they established a religious-utopian socialist state in 899 CE. Its members were part of a movement that ...

World Heritage Status

This site was added to the

UNESCO World Heritage A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for h ...

Tentative List on July 7, 2000, in the Cultural category.

Gallery

File:حصن الاخيضر.jpg File:حصن الاخيضر 8.jpg File:حصن الاخيضر في كربلاء.jpg File:حصن الاخيضر بشكل جديد.jpg File:حصن الاخيضر (5).jpg File:Al-Ukhaidir Fortess.jpg File:Al-Ukhaidir Fortess 1.jpg File:USMC-041229-M-0095Z-123.jpg File:Al Ukhaidir Fortress Iraq عراق.jpg File:حصن الاخيضر (2).jpg

Notes

References

Ukhaidir (Iraq) - About.com
Accessed 2009-09-25. * Hillenbrand, R (1999), ''Islamic Art and Architecture'', Thames and Hudson, 1999. Buildings and structures completed in 775 World Heritage Sites in Iraq Karbala Governorate Military history of the Abbasid Caliphate Abbasid palaces Castles in Iraq Palaces in Iraq Lakhmids {{Palace-stub