One of the largest mosaic panels in the world has been unveiled following a multi-year restoration project at Hisham's Palace in the West Bank city of Jericho, on October 28, 2021. (Abbas Momani/AFP)
Palestinian authorities unveil one of the largest floor mosaics in the world, in the West Bank city of Jericho, after years of restoration.
Resembling a fine carpet, the vast mosaic covers 836 square meters (8,998 square feet) at the Hisham Palace, an Ummayad Islamic desert castle dating from the eighth century.
The images, seen on dozens of panels, include a lion attacking a deer to symbolize war and two gazelles which symbolize peace, as well as delicate floral and geometric designs.
One of the largest mosaic panels in the world has been unveiled following a multi-year restoration project at Hisham’s Palace in the West Bank city of Jericho, on October 28, 2021. (Abbas Momani/AFP)
Hisham Palace had lain forgotten for centuries until it was rediscovered in the 19th century and explored in the 1930s. It was then that the mosaic was uncovered beneath the dust.
One of the largest mosaic panels in the world has been unveiled following a multi-year restoration project at Hisham’s Palace in the West Bank city of Jericho, on October 28, 2021. (Abbas Momani/AFP)
But it still remained neglected until five years ago when the site was closed to visitors as a $12 million Japan-funded restoration effort was launched.
“This mosaic contains more than five million pieces of stone… which have a natural and distinctive color,” Saleh Tawafsha, the under-secretary at the Palestinian Authority tourism and antiquities ministry, tells AFP during the unveiling ceremony.
He says he hopes that the restoration will draw tourists to Jericho.
The Hisham Palace near the Dead Sea covers about 150 acres and comprises baths and an agricultural estate.
The Ummayad Dynasty lasted from 660 to 750 AD.
Help us report truthfully on social media
As a multimedia journalist, my job is to take the quality, fact-based journalism produced by The Times of Israel newsroom and make it accessible across every platform — from Instagram posts to podcasts to short-form videos.
This is how many, especially young people, consume news these days. But misinformation is rampant on social media. Our team at ToI produces accurate, responsible short-form reporting on Israel and the Jewish world.
If you believe in the importance of factual social media journalism, please consider joining our reader support group, The Times of Israel Community. Your financial support is essential to sustain responsible multimedia reporting.
We’re really pleased that you’ve read X Times of Israel articles in the past month.
That’s why we started the Times of Israel - to provide discerning readers like you with must-read coverage of Israel and the Jewish world.
So now we have a request. Unlike other news outlets, we haven’t put up a paywall. But as the journalism we do is costly, we invite readers for whom The Times of Israel has become important to help support our work by joining The Times of Israel Community.
For as little as $6 a month you can help support our quality journalism while enjoying The Times of Israel AD-FREE, as well as accessing exclusive content available only to Times of Israel Community members.
Thank you, David Horovitz, Founding Editor of The Times of Israel
From the Liveblog of
Thursday, October 28, 2021
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on Google
