DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.45581#0019
Koser il-Hallabat.
73
the castle at a later date, and who built the mosque hard by, must have taken possess-
ion soon after the Hegira, while the fortress of the 6th century was still in a good
state of preservation, for there are no traces of Moslem work in the entire structure.
All the walls that are 1.55 M. thick should be assigned to the earlier period; for the
outer walls of all the later fortresses in the Hauran and in Northern Syria are 94 cm.
or 1.10 m. in thickness. It should be remarked that the greater thickness is equal to
3Ϋ2 Roman cubits of 444 mm.; while, of the lesser measurements, one is equal to 2
cubits of 555 mm. and the other to 1 such cubit plus 1 foot of 37 cm., this cubit and
foot being the common units of measurement during the Christian period in Syria. 1
If the matter of units of measurement be carried further, the whole building will be
found to cover a square of 100 Roman cubits, the old castle to be 40 by 45 cubits
square, and the court, from north to south, to be 50 cubits wide. It will be noticed
in the plan that the foundations of a semi-circular structure, 7.20 m. in diameter, are
to be traced outside of the east wall, south of the entrance. It is not possible to
connect this semi-circular wall with the arrangement of the castle as it stands today.
All the other fortresses visited by our expedition were provided with chapels during
the Byzantine period, and these chapels have apses; but this apse-like structure is far
larger than the apses of the other military chapels, and it protrudes from the wall,
which would be a unique arrangement for a chapel. Furthermore it bears no relation
to the rooms within the wall, and I believe it was either intended for the foundation
of a round tower connected with the fortress, or of some circular structure coeval with
the old castle, that was built over by the enlarged fortress. The restoration of the
east front of the fortress (Ill. 55), where the entrance is, needs little explanation. The
battering walls at the bases of the angle-towers are buried in debris, and are hardly
to be seen in the ruins. The two towers preserve two stories and traces of a third
story. The wall between the towers is standing only to one half of its height, the
upper parts, in which bands of basalt were used, having fallen forward. These parts
were restored in the drawing from the north wall which is standing almost to its full
height, though its lower half is nearly buried. One half of this wall, — the half east
of the wall of the old castle (Ill. 56) —, shows the arrangement of the bands of basalt
and the intermediate courses of limestone, which I have carried out in the restoration
of the east facade. The lower half of the great outer walls was certainly of limestone;
it may be that all the sections of wall in which basalt is decoratively used belong to
the later restorations of the sixth century, as these sections are confined to the upper
half of each wall. Section A-B (Ill. 55) shows, at the left, the southeast angle-tower
and the arched interior of the large apartment at the left of the gate of entrance; then
the long wall of the arched apartments, one story high, on the south side of the yard,
with doorways and windows in it, and, at the right, the front wall of a small two-story
apartment and the southwest angle-tower with the ground falling steeply below it.
Section C-D (Pl. VI) shows a cut through one of arched apartments on the left, a part
of the east wall of the old castle in the middle, and a cut through one of the apart-
ments on the right. In Section E-F (Pl. VI), a cut through the old castle is shown
at the left, and, next to it, the front of the high, arched apartments on the north of
the yard, with the older and the later inscriptions restored to their places in the wall,
1 A.A.E.S., Pt. II., p. 36.
73
the castle at a later date, and who built the mosque hard by, must have taken possess-
ion soon after the Hegira, while the fortress of the 6th century was still in a good
state of preservation, for there are no traces of Moslem work in the entire structure.
All the walls that are 1.55 M. thick should be assigned to the earlier period; for the
outer walls of all the later fortresses in the Hauran and in Northern Syria are 94 cm.
or 1.10 m. in thickness. It should be remarked that the greater thickness is equal to
3Ϋ2 Roman cubits of 444 mm.; while, of the lesser measurements, one is equal to 2
cubits of 555 mm. and the other to 1 such cubit plus 1 foot of 37 cm., this cubit and
foot being the common units of measurement during the Christian period in Syria. 1
If the matter of units of measurement be carried further, the whole building will be
found to cover a square of 100 Roman cubits, the old castle to be 40 by 45 cubits
square, and the court, from north to south, to be 50 cubits wide. It will be noticed
in the plan that the foundations of a semi-circular structure, 7.20 m. in diameter, are
to be traced outside of the east wall, south of the entrance. It is not possible to
connect this semi-circular wall with the arrangement of the castle as it stands today.
All the other fortresses visited by our expedition were provided with chapels during
the Byzantine period, and these chapels have apses; but this apse-like structure is far
larger than the apses of the other military chapels, and it protrudes from the wall,
which would be a unique arrangement for a chapel. Furthermore it bears no relation
to the rooms within the wall, and I believe it was either intended for the foundation
of a round tower connected with the fortress, or of some circular structure coeval with
the old castle, that was built over by the enlarged fortress. The restoration of the
east front of the fortress (Ill. 55), where the entrance is, needs little explanation. The
battering walls at the bases of the angle-towers are buried in debris, and are hardly
to be seen in the ruins. The two towers preserve two stories and traces of a third
story. The wall between the towers is standing only to one half of its height, the
upper parts, in which bands of basalt were used, having fallen forward. These parts
were restored in the drawing from the north wall which is standing almost to its full
height, though its lower half is nearly buried. One half of this wall, — the half east
of the wall of the old castle (Ill. 56) —, shows the arrangement of the bands of basalt
and the intermediate courses of limestone, which I have carried out in the restoration
of the east facade. The lower half of the great outer walls was certainly of limestone;
it may be that all the sections of wall in which basalt is decoratively used belong to
the later restorations of the sixth century, as these sections are confined to the upper
half of each wall. Section A-B (Ill. 55) shows, at the left, the southeast angle-tower
and the arched interior of the large apartment at the left of the gate of entrance; then
the long wall of the arched apartments, one story high, on the south side of the yard,
with doorways and windows in it, and, at the right, the front wall of a small two-story
apartment and the southwest angle-tower with the ground falling steeply below it.
Section C-D (Pl. VI) shows a cut through one of arched apartments on the left, a part
of the east wall of the old castle in the middle, and a cut through one of the apart-
ments on the right. In Section E-F (Pl. VI), a cut through the old castle is shown
at the left, and, next to it, the front of the high, arched apartments on the north of
the yard, with the older and the later inscriptions restored to their places in the wall,
1 A.A.E.S., Pt. II., p. 36.