An early Islamic fortified palace in Iraq contained in a rectangular enclosure 169 metres wide and 175 metres long. The enclosure is defended by towers and has gateways on all four sides, the main entrance being to the north. The palace itself adjoins the north wall and is entered through the north gate. The palace is 82 metres wide and 112 metres long. Beyond the entrance is a vaulted hall 15.5 metres long and 10.3 metres high, giving access to a courtyard in front of the reception rooms. The rest of the building consists of a mosque, storerooms and four selfcontained bayts [residential units]. The walls of the outer enclosure survive to a height of 17 metres and part of the palace is three storeys high. Sir Archibald Creswell, one of the greatest historians of Islamic architecture, concluded that Ukhaidir, which may be assigned to the 8th century on the basis of style and construction, was built by the Abbasid prince Isa b. Musa, in 778.
The Macmillan dictionary of archaeology, Ruth D. Whitehouse, 1983Copied