Hisham's Palace is located on the northern bank of Wadi Nueima in the Jordan Valley, approximately 2 kilometers north of the center of Jericho. The site is known as the ruins of Khirbat al-Mafjar. The palace is attributed to the Umayyad Caliph Hisham ibn Abd al-Malik (724-743 CE / 105-125 AH) based on some discovered written evidence at the site. However, it is now believed that his successor, Caliph Walid II, was the one who constructed the palace in the period between 743-744 CE for relaxation and leisure on the outskirts of the Sham Desert. The palace was destroyed by a severe earthquake that struck the region around 749 CE / 131 AH before its completion. The site was excavated by the Palestinian Antiquities Department between 1935-1948. In 2006, the Department of Antiquities and Cultural Heritage resumed excavation in the bathhouse area under the supervision of Dr. Hamdan Taha. Joint Palestinian-American excavations were conducted between 1910-1915 under the supervision of Dr. Hamdan Taha and Dr. Donald Whitcomb. The excavations revealed the north gate of the palace, a large grape press, and the remains of the Abbasid estate built atop the Umayyad structures.
The site consists of the palace, bathhouse facilities, a mosque, and an ornate water basin, surrounded by an incomplete outer wall. The first three buildings are aligned on an axis extending from north to south, to the west of the palace's front square, where a fountain is located in the center. The area north of the bathhouse underwent partial excavations, revealing a series of rooms believed to be part of an inn and housing for palace workers, and an estate from the Abbasid period.
The palace is a two-story square building surrounded by circular silent towers at the corners. The entrance to the palace served as a winding passage surrounded by decorated stone benches on both sides. The palace rooms are arranged around a central courtyard surrounded by four arcaded corridors. The arrangement of the ground floor rooms suggests their use for guests, servants, as well as storage. In the southern part, there is a small mosque with a mihrab facing the qibla. Stairs at the opposing corners of the courtyard lead to the upper floor, indicating a residential suite.
In the western part of the central square, there is a stone staircase leading to a front-ground chamber that opens to a barrel-vaulted room, known as the Sirdab, which served as the caliph's private bathhouse. The large mosque is attached to the northern wall of the palace, with a standing mihrab. The mosque has a rectangular plan, and its roof was supported by two rows of arches resting on columns.
The grand bathhouse is located on the northern side of the palace. It consists of a covered domed passage on the eastern side, a vestibule, a domed reception room, a series of small bathing rooms, and toilets. In the southern part of the bathhouse, there is a swimming pool measuring 20 meters in length and a depth of a meter and a half.
In the northwest corner of the hot bath, there is the Diwan, a small reception chamber with a floor paved with mosaics depicting various geometric patterns, including the famous scene of lions and deer under the orange or life tree. In the front square of the palace, there is an ornate water basin. Sculptures and stone and gypsum statues with animal and human forms were widely used throughout the palace to decorate walls, columns, crowns, and ceilings. One of the statues may symbolize the Umayyad Caliph Walid. The palace's water supply was facilitated by an uncovered channel from the nearby springs, namely Ein Diuk and Ein Nueima.
After 1995, the Department of Antiquities and Cultural Heritage at the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities executed an extensive program to rehabilitate the site as an archaeological park in collaboration with local and international institutions. The archaeological park now includes a reception office, an interpretation center, a mosaic museum, a laboratory, internal walkways, explanatory panels, and tourist facilities such as bathrooms and parking. In 2018, the mosaic floor in the grand bath was covered.
