Ancient Architecture

Hauranian Architectural Tradition

Hauranian construction exploits the durability and strength of the local basalt stone, and embraces practical, cost-saving methods of construction. This is village architecture, not monumental construction, though it is no less clever or beautiful than remains in urban areas. The longevity of Hauranian architecture affirms the stability and long-term success of locally designed and implemented structures.

Domestic architecture is the most common type of construction in the Hauranian countryside and is dominant type at Umm Al-Jimāl. The plethora of homes left behind is an important reminder that people lived, worked, worshipped, raised families, and passed on in what today are ruins.

Houses were not carbon copies, but nonetheless followed certain patterns and included similar features. The courtyard was a universal component and an essential part of everyday life. The open spaces were typically fitted with mangers to feed small or large livestock, which could be housed there or in stables when not grazing or working in the fields. Some houses had a single private courtyard, but in other cases multiple homes could share access to the same courtyard. Courtyards were typically the habitat of animals, as indicated by the mangers, though one exception at Umm Al-Jimāl in House XVIII is a large courtyard with a probable garden feature in its center.

Typical Hauranian domestic architecture (UJAP)

House XVII's courtyard with mangers (UJAP)

Rooms surrounded all or some sides of the courtyard. The ground floor typically held stables, latrines, storage areas, and rooms for food preparation and other domestic activities. Homes were multi-story, with up to three additional floors, and most of these upper areas consisted of shared and private rooms for the family. Higher floors and roofs were accessed by cantilevered stairs built into the courtyard walls. Rooms above stables that likely held fodder or other storage could be visited using ladders.

Homes were generally closed on the exterior, with few windows or outside staircases, no doubt due to privacy desires, security concerns, and to fend off blowing sand and dust. The courtyard was the central point that provided stairs, shade, and ventilation.

Public and religious architecture—various military and administrative buildings, churches, temples, and mosques—were also constructed using local stone and techniques, in harmony with domestic structures.

Construction Techniques & Features

Hauranian architecture is the architecture of everyday life: these structures were designed and built by the local people, using traditional styles and forms. They were also typically constructed with pragmatism in mind, with a desire to keep costs low and not to expend unnecessary effort—sentiments that certainly apply to the modern-day populace as well.

Stone used in construction at Umm Al-Jimāl was quarried from inside or nearby the property, and therefore blocks only needed to be moved short distances. The many reservoirs still seen today around the site began their life as stone quarries. Basalt was extracted using a simple and effective method: wooden wedges were fitted into natural fissures in the bedrock, and then soaked with water so that the wood expanded and caused the crack to widen until a portion of the rock broke off. This process was continued until a large, deep pit was created. Once plastered thoroughly, to prevent water from leaking into the fissures, the former quarry could become a water reservoir.

For more about construction methods, view the slideshow below.

Constructing walls

Wall construction is an excellent example of practical architectural design. Dry-laid basalt stones formed the inner and outer face of walls, and the interior was filled with small stones, dirt, and other debris, and sometimes plaster for stability. With this design, stones only needed to be worked on one side, saving time and effort. While most of the finishing has been lost to time, the wall faces would have been covered with layers of plaster.

Multi-story construction

Part of what makes Umm Al-Jimāl so visually striking, is how tall some of the ruins are, with walls preserved up to three stories high. Constructing stable buildings to such a height was possible due to the natural strength and durability of basalt compared to other common construction material, such as limestone and sandstone. Since basalt could be cut into relatively long and thin blocks and yet resist cracking, it was well suited for the corbelling method of creating upper floors and roofs. Corbels in varying shapes would be set across the entire width of the walls, with a flat-topped portion extending inside the room. Beams up to about 3m long could then be placed on top, creating a ceiling or roof. The corbelling method also strengthened the rubble-filled walls, ensuring that there were anchor points across the wall at each floor.

Arched rooms

If rooms wider than 3m were desired, arches could be used to provide central support for the beams. This same method was used to cover reservoirs, protecting the water from dust and debris.

For upper floors, the beams could be covered in plaster to make a smooth floor. In the case of roofs, the flat beams would be sealed with straw and compacted dirt. Roofs were often accessible by stairs, indicating their functional use, for example as a place to dry grain.

House XVIII's original stone door

The best-finished stones are typically found around door and window frames, where the interior blocks are smoothed on at least two faces. Most doorways, including all exterior ones, were fitted with doors, as evidenced by the sockets and grooves carved into threshold stones. Doors could be hewn from basalt, such as the example still in situ in House XVIII, but most were probably wooden given the smaller size of the grooves, and the fact that few stone door fragments have been found in the ruins.

Door and window construction

Another important architectural feature associated with doors is the lintel, or long beam that stretches across the top of the doorframe. Since this lintel is bears immense weight from the stones above, it will crack under pressure unless there is a relieving element that helps to redirect the weight of the architecture. It is common, therefore, to see small arches or windows above door lintels. One will also occasionally spot lintel stones that have cracked due to lack of relief.

The importance of privacy to the ancient inhabitants is clear: not only were doors common, but they were typically able to be locked from the inside by horizontal or vertical bars. Windows had shutters, evidenced by similar grooves and sockets to the doors, and most exterior windows have small slots cut into the frames where metal grilles would be installed.

Cantilevered stairways

Since rooms were typically narrow, staircases were located outside the rooms, usually running up the walls of the courtyard. Like corbel blocks, part of each stair beam was built into the wall and the exposed portion was shaped triangularly to create cantilevered steps (Figure 2.26). The stairways would terminate at small landings in front of the upper-floor rooms. Rooms without access by stairs could be reached by ladder.

Stables and mangers

Since animal husbandry was an important part of rural life, it was incorporated into the architecture. Mangers along courtyard walls and inside rooms purpose-built as stables are universal features in Hauranian homes. One of House XVII’s stables was excavated in 2012 and 2014, revealing an irregular flagstone floor and mangers built along the north and west walls. In House 119, now the Interpretive and Hospitality Centre, the mangers run through the center of two stables. The height of mangers indicated whether they were used by small or large animals. In addition to stables, animal pens with thinner, shorter walls were often added to the exterior of houses.

Decorative features

Hauranian architecture can vary from small, basic houses with little adornment and few finished stones, to large homes with finely carved features and decoration, and Umm Al-Jimāl includes buildings across this range. Common types of decorative features are capitals, columns, cornices, and corbels. Carved limestone or marble decorated churches, and mosaic pavement or finely cut flagstone could adorn any structure. Other decoration was sculpted onto the basalt stones: for example, crosses are a typical sight at Umm Al-Jimāl, both in churches and homes and rosettes were also a popular motif. Although most has degraded naturally, painted plaster is evidenced on some floors and walls.