326. Salṭ, as- | السلط

al-Balqā’ Governorate

Dharih Nebi Yūsha ibn Nūn / Hoshea or Josua.

JADIS no. 2116005

MEGA no. 10359

Coordinates: 32°04'17.2"N 35°42'32.4"E

32.071444, 35.709000

Plan: long rectangular with barrel vaulted roof, miḥrāb in S wall shifted to the W facing entrance in the NW sector of N wall; to the NE a rectangular covered water tank and a room have been later added (fig. 326.6). At the E elevation protrudes a thick podium to the E.

Measurements: 112.8 m²

Exterior: Tomb building alone 12 m x 27.6 cm; water tank 6.0 m x 8.80 m; room in NE corner 6.8 m x 7.6 m.

Interior: 6.0 x 18.8 m; width of miḥrāb 2 m; depth of miḥrāb 2 m; tomb 10.4 x 1.4 m.

Building Materials: yellowish-brown limestone partly cut in large blocks; for the barrel vaulted ceiling use of smaller partly unworked boulders.

Construction details: The walls have an average thickness of about 3 m and are constructed in their foundation layers by large cubic blocks of ancient origin. The sector of the miḥrāb is covered by groin vaults combined with lateral barrel vaults, all the ceiling consists of smaller boulders. In the E wall, an irregularity in the masonry possibly indicates the existence of an older Christian semicircular apse directed to the E. On roof top above the entrance vestibule, on its NW corner, rises a small square room covered by a pointed conical dome. Another but larger rectangular room with a semi globular dome is located on the SW corner of the main hall (fig. 326.4). Both superstructures can be reached by an external staircase (figs. 326.2. 6).

Preservation: recently restored and permanently in use for Muslim pilgrimage and prayer. It is worth mentioning that the mausoleum of the late former Prime Minister of Jordan Wasfi al-Tell (1919-1971) in as-Salt, al-Kamaliyah is an exact replica of Dharih Nebi Yūsha.

Inscription(s): none known.

Date(s): Mamluk (MEGA)

Traveler Reports: “The Mezar Osha is supposed to contain the tomb of Neby Osha, or the prophet Hosea, equally revered by Turks and Christians, and to whom the followers of both religions are in the habit of offering prayers and sacrifices ... The tomb is covered by a vaulted building, one end of which serves as a mosque; the tomb itself, in the form of a coffin, is thirty-six feet long, three feet broad, and three feet and a half in height, being thus constructed in conformity with the notion of the Turks, who suppose that all our fore-fathers were giants, and especially the prophets before Mohammed... The coffin of Osha is covered with silk stuffs of different colors, which have been presented to him as votive offerings. Visitors generally throw a couple of paras upon the tomb. These are collected by the guardian, and pay the expenses of illuminating the apartment during the summer months; for in the winter season hardly anybody seeks favours at the shrine of the saint. In one corner stands a small plate, upon which some of the most devout visitors place a piece of incense. A wooden partition separates the tomb from the mosque, where the Turks generally say a few prayers before they enter the inner apartment. On the outside of the building is a verylarge and deep cistern much frequented by the Bedouins. Here is a fine view over the Ghor.... As pilgrimage in the east is generally coupled with mercantile speculations, Osha’s tomb is much resorted to for commercial purposes, and like Mekka and Jerusalem, is transformed into a fair at the time of the visit of the pilgrims. The Arabs of the Belka, especially the Beni Shakher, bring here Kelly or soap-ashes, which they burn during the summer in large quantities” (Burckhardt 1822).

Bibliography: Burckhardt 1822, 353-354; Goldziher 1879, 15; Duncan 1927, 192-197; De Vaux 1938, 407-408 no. 15; Nueimat – Alkilani 2002, 50; Hübner 2006, 18 with note 5; Hiyyari 2008, 30; Hashasheh 2013, 149; Sqour - Abu Ghanimeh 2014, 4 with note 16: Redlinger 2014, 14; Hattab 2015, 87-91; Tabbah - Taylor 2016, 354-355; Samman- Tabbah 2019, no.10.