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Castle

Qasr al-Hayr al-Sharqi

🇸🇾 Syria · 8th century

Qasr al-Hayr al-Sharqi in Syria
Photo: Vyacheslav Argenberg · CC BY 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Qasr al-Hayr al-Sharqi (Arabic: قصر الحير الشرقي, lit. 'Eastern al-Hayr Palace or the "Eastern Castle"') is a castle (qasr) in the middle of the Syrian Desert. It was built by the Umayyad caliph Hisham ibn Abd al-Malik in 728-29 CE in an area rich in desert fauna. It was apparently used as a military and hunting outpost. The palace is the counterpart of Qasr al-Hayr al-Gharbi, a nearby castle palace built one year earlier. It is one of the so-called desert castles.

Text adapted from “Qasr al-Hayr al-Sharqi” on Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Qasr al-Hayr al-Sharqi ranks #1,827 of 7,738 worldwide in the atlas's castle fame ranking, and #12 of the 37 mapped in Syria. Founded 729, it is older than 96% of the atlas's dated landmarks — one of 39 atlas entries founded in the 8th century. Its Wikipedia articles were opened 1,387 times in the last 60 days, more than 57% of the atlas. It is one of the 109 landmarks on the atlas's regional map of the Levant. See how Syria compares in the castle statistics.

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Read the full history on Wikipedia ↗

Frequently asked questions

Where is Qasr al-Hayr al-Sharqi?

Qasr al-Hayr al-Sharqi stands in Syria, at 35.07389°, 39.07111°.

When was Qasr al-Hayr al-Sharqi built?

The atlas dates its founding to 729. Earlier structures may have stood on the site; this is the earliest documented founding year.

How famous is Qasr al-Hayr al-Sharqi?

In this atlas's fame ranking: #1,827 of 7,738 worldwide, and #12 in Syria. Fame here combines how many Wikipedia language editions cover a landmark with how many people read them.

What is the nearest castle to Qasr al-Hayr al-Sharqi?

Fakhr-al-Din al-Maani Castle, about 94 km away.

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