page_title: Iraq al-Amir
section_title: Qasr Al-Abd
hierarchical_section_title: Iraq al-Amir / Qasr Al-Abd
caption_attribution_description: Français&#160;: Le château d'Iraq al Amir&#160;: façade sud.
context_page_description: Iraq al-Amir or Araq el-Amir, is the name shared by a town and nearby caves, within the municipality of Amman in the Jordan Valley. Located about 15 km southwest of the town of Wadi as-Seer, it has a population of about 6000 people, mostly members of the tribe of Abbadi. It is located on the hills with high and medium altitude, the area has many springs, and is famous for its olive trees, in addition to other forest trees. About 0.5 km south of the town is located the so-called Al-Iraq historical site, marked by the partially restored palace
context_section_description: Qasr Al-Abd is one of the most important Hellenistic ruins and remains in Jordan, especially because most of the Hellenistic ruins were built over by Roman buildings, and buildings were continually built upon.  
  The first known written description of the castle was written by Flavius Josephus, the Romano-Jewish historian. His description goes back to the site's founding. The castle was used in the Byzantine and Classical ages. It was built from white limestone (extracted from the surrounding area) and the dimensions of the rectangular building it was built upon are 18X37.5 meters and its elevation about 14 meters. The walls are estimated between 90 centimeters to 3.90 meters thick. Josephus maintained that it was surrounded by a moat and surrounding walls for protection.  
  The first floor of the castle has a north and south gate, as well as a north and south corridor. On the west side of both gates, there are four rooms many of which were used for escorting.  On the east side there are steps leading to the second floor, . On the north side, water tanks and two lobbies used for storage. On the east side, seven windows for lighting and ventilation. 
  The second floor has bedrooms and reception rooms. This part of the castle was unfinished, and was partly destroyed by an earthquake in the fourth century B.C.E. 
  In the summer of 2018, Qasr Al-Abd was renovated by the Jordanian Ministry of Tourism and Antiques. More stone pathways were created around the structure and a building now houses a small theatre that plays an animation, narrated in Arabic and subtitled in French. The animation illustrates what is thought to be the original vision for the dwelling, a summer lodge, surrounded by water, to give the illusion of a boat floating in a sea.
caption: Castle of Iraq al Amir
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