You are here

Remains of six Umayyad, Abbasid mosques found in Mafraq

By Muath Freij - Apr 29,2015 - Last updated at Apr 29,2015

AMMAN — A group of Jordanian archaeologists has uncovered the remains of six ancient mosques that date back to the Umayyad and Abbasid eras in the Kingdom’s Safawi area, one of the researchers said on Wednesday. 

Mafraq Department of Antiquities (DoA) Director Abdul Qader Hissan said the mosques will be later designated as part of planned religious trails in the governorate of Mafraq, some 80km northeast of Amman, that will lead visitors to Muslim and Christian sites as part of initiatives to boost tourism in the area. 

The mosques are located in Wadi Isheiheb, Wadi Iseikhem and Wadi Hassan. 

“The largest mosque was 13 metres high and 12 metres wide. Most of the mosques’ mihrabs [where the imam stands to lead prayers] could be identified,” Hissan told The Jordan Times over the phone.

It took the archaeologists more than one month, from February 9 until March 15, to finish their excavation work, which was interrupted during winter due to difficult weather conditions. 

“We used to walk between 7 and 10 kilometres a day to search for these sites,” the DoA official added. 

Hissan and the two other archaeologists, Jameel Qteish and Hussein Sarhan, also found numerous inscriptions dating back to the same two periods. 

“They were taken to the Mafraq Antiquities Museum and will be displayed for visitors soon,” he added. 

Describing the inscriptions as “important”, he said they provide details on daily life and give an idea of the historical, social and political situation in these major eras.

Hissan said they also found around seven small prayer sites built by tribes living there to pray for the dead.

up
16 users have voted.


Newsletter

Get top stories and blog posts emailed to you each day.

PDF