Masterpiece amazes visitors

Qasr Ibn Wardan Hama - Arabstoday Qasr Ibn Wardan (Ibn Wardan Palace), is one of the most prominent architectural masterpieces that amazes visitors and tourists, especially in the rainy season, where nice rose smell emit from. 60 km northeast of Hama governorate, central Syria, The complex of a palace, church and barracks was erected in the mid 6th century by the Byzantine Emperor Justinian I (527-565). The Palace walls were built of mud mixed with rose water, so whenever it rains or Water is sprayed on the walls, the nice rose smell emits. Its unique style imported directly from Constantinople and not found anywhere else in present-day Syria. The materials used in the construction are totally different from those used in Syrian buildings in that period, where it was built of stone mixed with red brick. Scholars believe that the palace's name belongs to one of the elders of the Badia tribes who inhabited it at a late stage. All three buildings, palace, church and barracks are constructed by alternating bands of basalt and brick in a manner called piebald, there are also some limestone around windows. The 2,000-square meters palace is one of the widest, most beautiful and largest buildings. It consists of two stories and a courtyard in the middle surrounded by rooms from four sides. The main entrance is located in the southern facade. Divisions of the lower storey differ from the upper one as the lower storey is covered by cross-vaulted or barrel-shaped ceilings, while the windows are crowned with pointed arches of the oldest models of Syrian architecture. The main entrance is covered by basalt stone with ancient Greek writing, Land of the western part of the palace was paved with a mosaic of colored stones, while the rest of the palace sections paved with limestone rocks. The church is located to the west of the palace, a rectangular shape with a wing in the center flanked by two lateral wings. The church entrance surmounted by a Greek writing to chronicle the building in 564 AD. The walls of this church is decorated with colored blocks of mosaic and the land is paved with stones and marble on a form of a beautiful geometric pattern. Most parts of the barracks are ruined and buried in the soil, except the upper parts which indicate that it consists of a courtyard adorned with a high two-story building, surrounded by rooms and halls. The entrance to the barracks is located on the north side, and surmounted by Ancient Greek writings as well.