Ayyubid Watchtower (Amman)

The remains of the Ayyubid watchtower at the Amman Citadel

The Ayyubid watchtower is a stone tower dating back to the Ayyubid period (c. 1170-1250), more specifically in the year 1220, on the southern wall^{[ which? ]} of the Amman Citadel in the center of the Jordanian capital, Amman. It is located in an area adjacent to the much older Great Temple, better but inaccurately known as the Temple of Hercules. It also contains traces of other civilizations that have succeeded in the city for thousands of years. ^{[1] [2]}

Tower diagram

Amman Citadel site plan showing the Ayyubid watchtower (No. 7)

View from the watchtower towards central Amman, showing the Roman Theater

Description

The Ayyubids, who excelled in military architecture, constructed this tower for observation, as it overlooks the center of Amman. It consists of a small room of 9.45 m in length and 7.55 m in width. There are openings in three of its walls for shooting arrows. The fourth wall has, built into its width, a staircase leading to the roof. Blocks of cylindrical columns, which used to be a part of the Roman Great Temple ("Temple of Hercules"), were used on the southern façade.^{[ clarification needed ]}

The Jordanian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities restored the building in the early 1990s, and turned to its present form^{[ clarification needed ]}. ^[3]

History

See also: Amman § Islamic era

Crusader presence on the Citadel Hill during the Kingdom of Jerusalem is so far based only on interpretations of Crusader sources. William of Tyre writes that in 1161 Philip of Milly received the castle of "Ahamant", seen to refer to Amman, as part of the lordship of Oultrejordain. ^[4] In 1166 Philip joined the Knights Templar, passing on to them a large part of his fief, including the castle of Ahamant ^[5] or "Haman", as it is named in a deed of confirmation. ^[6] By 1170, Amman was in Ayyubid hands. ^[7]

The remains of the watch tower on Citadel Hill were at first attributed to the Crusaders, but are now preferentially dated to the Ayyubid period, leaving it to further research to find the location of the Crusader castle. ^[6]

See also

• Oultrejourdain, Crusader lordship east of the Jordan River

References

1. Milwright, Marcus (Apr 2006). "Central and Southern Jordan in the Ayyubid Period: Historical and Archaeological Perspectives". Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society. 16 (1): 1–27. JSTOR   25188591.
2. Bikai, Patricia M.; Egan, Virginia (Jul 1997). "Archaeology in Jordan". American Journal of Archaeology. 101 (3): 493–535. doi:10.2307/507108. JSTOR   507108. S2CID   245265360.
3. "Things to do in Amman, Jordan (before a more epic adventure)". MIDDLE EAST. 2019-04-03.
4. Barber, Malcolm (2003) "The career of Philip of Nablus in the kingdom of Jerusalem", in The Experience of Crusading, vol. 2: Defining the Crusader Kingdom, eds. Peter Edbury and Jonathan Phillips, Cambridge University Press
5. Barber, Malcolm (2012). The New Knighthood: A History of the Order of the Temple. Cambridge University Press. p. 86. ISBN   978-1-107-60473-5. Archived from the original on 18 May 2020. Retrieved 24 August 2017.
6. Pringle, Denys (2009). "'Amman (P4)". Secular Buildings in the Crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem: An Archaeological Gazetteer. Cambridge University Press. pp. 112–113. ISBN   9780521102636. Archived from the original on 18 May 2020. Retrieved 24 August 2017.
7. Johns, Jeremy (1994). "The Long Durée: State and Settlement Strategies in Southern Transjordan across the Islamic Centuries". In Eugene L. Rogan; Tariq Tell (eds.). Village, Steppe and State: The Social Origins of Modern Jordan. London: British Academic Press. p. 12. ISBN   9781850438298. Archived from the original on 2 January 2017. Retrieved 7 September 2016.