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Art Found Within the Complex

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As the complex was believed to be an estate owned by someone of wealth, it is no surprise that some decorations for it's opulent owners may be found within the remains of the palace. Many decorations and artwork from the complex are kept at the National Museum in Damascus. Some items found within include richly decorated floor frescoes, stucco walls, and figural reliefs.

Figures and Artwork

One of the floor frescos found within the Qasr al-Hayr al-Gharbî complex.

Although the site of the complex features degrading architecture, several artistic works have been located, including a stucco wall and a fresco floor. Similar types of art can be found in Roman architecture, but the majority of works within the complex are dated in the Umayyad period, not Roman, excluding a few constructs within the waterworks. Many of the pieces found are vague or unclear whether they are based on an actual figure. One piece of artwork can possibly be identified, among the reliefs discovered in a 1936 excavation of the complex, a figural relief of man, now missing from the torso and above. This finely adorned figure in Persian dress and jewelry may represent Hisham, the Caliph who commissioned the palace to be built. The relief's clothing is similar in style to various artworks created in the Sassanian period, found on dinnerware and household items. This continuation of style suggests that pre-Islamic artwork may have been an inspiration for the Umayyad palace. There is also evidence that the relief would have been painted rather than left in simple bare stone. This attempt to create artwork inspired by previous cultures is not uncommon in Islamic works, especially in the Umayyad period, as imagery depicting Sasanian mythological creatures such as senmurv's can be found at Qasr al-Hayr al-Gharbi as well as more well-known complexes such as Khirbat al-Mafjar.