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The Qasr al-Farid, the Lonely Castle of the Nabataeans

The Qasr al-Farid, the Lonely Castle of the Nabataeans

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The Nabataean Kingdom ruled over an area that spanned from the southern Levant to northern Arabia, a position that allowed them to control the Incense Route that passed through the Arabian Peninsula. As a result of this lucrative trade, the Nabataeans grew immensely wealthy and powerful. One expression of this wealth can be seen in the monuments they built. The most well-known Nabataean monument is arguably the al-Khazneh in Petra, modern day Jordan. Nevertheless, the Nabataeans were highly skilled craftsmen when it came to carving rock, and numerous examples of their workmanship can be found throughout their kingdom. One such monument is the Qasr al-Farid.

The Nabataeans were skilled craftsmen who carved their monuments out of solid rock

The Nabataeans were skilled craftsmen who carved their monuments out of solid rock (Wikimedia Commons)

The Qasr al-Farid (meaning ‘Lonely Castle’) is located in the archaeological site of Madâin Sâlih (known also as al-Hijr or Hegra) in the north of Saudi Arabia. Although called a castle, the Qasr al-Farid was actually a tomb constructed around the 1 st century AD. The Qasr al-Farid is just one of the 111 monumental tombs scattered around the landscape of the Madâin Sâlih, a site which was inscribed by UNESCO as a World Heritage site in 2008. Of these tombs, 94 of them are decorated. The Qasr al-Farid is one of the most famous tombs in Madâin Sâlih, and was named as such due to the fact that it is completely isolated from the other tombs situated in the area. This is unusual, given that most of the monumental tombs in Madâin Sâlih were found to have been made in groups. These include the Qasr al-Bint tombs, the Qasr al-Sani tombs, and the tombs of the Jabal al-Mahjar area.

The archaeological site of Madâin Sâlih, Saudi Arabia

The archaeological site of Madâin Sâlih, Saudi Arabia (Wikimedia Commons).

The Qasr al-Farid is reported to be four stories high. As such monuments were meant to be an indication of the wealth and the social status of the people who commissioned them, bigger definitely meant better. Another noteworthy aspect of the Qasr al-Farid is the number of pilasters it has on its façade. All the other tomb façades of the Madâin Sâlih contain only two pilasters, one on the left and another on the right. The Qasr al-Farid, however, has four pilasters on its façade, one on each side, and two additional ones in the middle. This may be further evidence that the owner of this tomb was an immensely wealthy and important individual in Nabataean society.

The enigmatic Nabataeans were originally a nomadic tribe, but about 2,500 years ago, they began building great settlements and cities which prospered from the first century BC to the first century AD, including the magnificent city of Petra in Jordan.  As well as their agricultural activities, they developed political systems, arts, engineering, stonemasonry, astronomy, and demonstrated astonishing hydraulic expertise, including the construction of wells, cisterns, and aqueducts.

Unlike other structures in Madâin Sâlih, the Qasr al-Farid has four pillars rather than two

Unlike other structures in Madâin Sâlih, the Qasr al-Farid has four pillars rather than two (Wikimedia Commons)

It may come as a surprise then that the building of the Qasr al-Farid was actually never completed. Unfortunately, it is highly unlikely that we will ever find out for whom this tomb was built. Neither will we know the reason for the abandonment of this project by either its owner or the workmen. The Qasr al-Farid’s incomplete nature, however, reveals something tantalising about the way it was built. As the quality of the work is rougher on the lower part of the tomb’s façade, it has been suggested that the monument was fashioned from the top down. It may also be possible that other similar monuments were also made in such a manner.

Qasr al-Farid, the Lonely Castle

Qasr al-Farid, the Lonely Castle (Wikimedia Commons)

By the 3 rd century A.D., the Incense Route was in decline due to the political and economic crisis that was faced by the Roman Empire. Consequently, many of the towns along the trade route would be affected by the deterioration in trade. Even Medain Salih, once a major staging post on the main north-south caravan route, was not spared, and eventually shrank into a tiny village. The 10 th century Arab traveller, for instance, wrote that during his time, Madâin Sâlih was but a small oasis whose activities centred on its wells and peasants. This is undeniably a stark contrast compared to the site’s heyday during the Nabataean period, when merchants and camels laden with the incense of Arabia would have thronged its streets on their way to the north. Still, the Qasr al-Farid and the other tombs built by the Nabataeans remain as a testimony to the greatness that the Madâin Sâlih once was.

Featured image: The Qasr al-Farid. Photo source: Wikimedia.

References

EricGrundhauser, 2015. The Lonely Castle. [Online]
Available at: http://www.atlasobscura.com/places/the-lonely-castle

Kaushik, 2015. Qasr al Farid: The Lonely Castle of Mada'in Saleh. [Online]
Available at: http://www.amusingplanet.com/2015/02/qasr-al-farid-lonely-castle-of-mada.html

Lendering, J., 2009. Nabataeans. [Online]
Available at: http://www.livius.org/people/nabataeans/

Pemberton, B., 2015. Riddle of the The Lonely Castle: Abandoned in the middle of the desert, the ancient tomb carved out of rock which has endured since the first century. [Online]
Available here.

Powell, E. A., 2010. Petra's Sister City. [Online]
Available at: http://archive.archaeology.org/1007/abstracts/hegra.html

Saudi Commission for Tourism and Antiquities, 2009. Sites in Saudi Arabia. [Online]
Available here.

UNESCO, 2015. Al-Hijr Archaeological Site (Madâin Sâlih). [Online]
Available at: http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1293

By Ḏḥwty

 

Comments

Those are temples, not tombs. Ancient Bulgarians possessed a sacred knowledge about the geomagnetic healing forces of Bulgarian mountains and rocks and built their sanctuaries and niches in them. Our common ancestors used the geomagnetic healing force of earth by laying in especially cut in the rocks stone beds, niches and wholes, sometimes filled with rain water and used their so called Petro Energy / Geomagnetism.
Ancient Bulgarians were people of advanced and mystic knowledge and their Stone Civilization, the first human civilization was born in the lands of today Bulgaria and spread all over the world after the Biblical flood in Black Sea in appr. 5504 BC.
Today this sacred knowledge about the earth geomagnetic forces is lost for the humanity, but still kept in the secret military scientific laboratories for producing the so called UFO's and the Geoengeneering arms like HAARP and Chemtrails, which irresponsibly play with the geomagnetism and gravity of our planet.
The dangerous result is in front of our eyes - unpredicted and deadly earthquakes even in stable regions of solid mountains as in Nepal. Our planet has a perfect balance of geomagnetism and gravity and every intrusion of human "scientific" silliness in this geosystem is extremely dangerous and unpredictable.
... as it happened in Nepal ...
From the other side Nabatheans have a Bulgarian name - Nabatheans are the people of the Sky (Nabath into Bulgarian language).
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=680686418717651&set=a.313566...

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Wu

Wu Mingren (‘Dhwty’) has a Bachelor of Arts in Ancient History and Archaeology. Although his primary interest is in the ancient civilizations of the Near East, he is also interested in other geographical regions, as well as other time periods.... Read More

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