319. Ṣakhrā | صخرة

‘Ajlūn Governorate

Maqām as-Ṣakhrāwī

JADIS no. none

MEGA no. none

Coordinates: 32°22'03.2"N 35°50'52.5"E

32.367556, 35.847917

Plan: almost square, with single entrance in the middle of the E wall, rising upon twin pointed barrel vaulted Hellenistic / early Roman chamber tombs of rectangular plans, oriented W to E, with separate entrances at the E. The Islamic upper chamber of the maqām has a flat cross vaulted ceiling resting on wall arches with corbel imposts in the corners of the room.

Measurements: 57.76 m²

Exterior: ca. 8.80 x 8.00 m.

Interior: ca. 7.60 x 8.80m

Building Materials: local brown limestone for the superstructure partly with reuse of large well-dressed ashlars of pre-Islamic origin. The two-barrel vaulted chamber tombs underneath consist of smooth white chalky limestone blocks without use of mortar.

Construction details: The cross vault of the superstructure rests on corner corbels.

Preservation: The ceilings of both pre-Islamic tombs have been collapsed at the W ends of the burial chambers. The doors of the tombs are in the N, accessible, while that of in the S one is still filled with stone rubble and modern garbage. The Islamic superimposed hall is intact but its floor filled up with earth and debris.

Inscription(s): Above the arched door frame sits a rectangular limestone slab which carried an inscription; today, however, is nothing legible anymore.

Date(s): The twin underground chamber tombs are obviously late Hellenistic or early Roman in their origin. The Islamic superstructure with its flat cross vaults’ dates most likely to the later Ottoman period.

Traveler Reports:“Das welî es-sachrâwî mit einem Baum und den Resten einer Moschee liegt im Westen des Dorfes. Dabei befindet sich ein Friedhof der Eghzâwîye-Beduinen. Der oben erwähnte Gewölbebau gehörte dem Emir desselben Stammes” (Steuernagel 1927). According to narratives of local inhabitants, the two Hellenistic underground chamber tombs have been used by the local inhabitants for the burial of small children who died during the rainy winter seasons.

Bibliography: Steuernagel 1927, A 256; MMU IV, 271 no. 3 (H. & O. M. Qawqaneh). Web Site: https://ar.Wikipedia,org/wiki/مقام_الصخراوي_(صخرة)