Al Qastal

History

Textual evidence from the poet Kuthayyir 'Azzah indicates that the Qasr al-Qastal complex was originally built by Caliph Yazid bin Abd al-Malik. The fact that the Qasr al-Qastal complex was finished, while the nearby Qasr Mshatta was never finished, indicates that Qasr al-Qastal may be the oldest Umayyad construction in the area. Tombstones from Al-Qastal indicate that after the fall of the Umayyads the site was used by the Abbasid Caliphate. When the Abbasid Caliphate fell, there was a short period when the site was abandoned. Later, under the Ayyubid and Mamluk dynasties, Al-Qastal was re-settled, a number of small buildings dating back to this time.

Most-observed species

• House Sparrow

  Passer domesticus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  837
• Rock Pigeon

  Columba livia J.F.Gmelin, 1789 · Aves
  533
• Eurasian Blackbird

  Turdus merula Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  516
• White-spectacled Bulbul

  Pycnonotus xanthopygos (Hemprich & Ehrenberg, 1833) · Aves
  361
• Laughing Dove

  Spilopelia senegalensis (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  329
• Eurasian Collared-Dove

  Streptopelia decaocto (Frivaldszky, 1838) · Aves
  279
• Crested Lark

  Galerida cristata (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  228
• Eurasian Jay

  Garrulus glandarius (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  223

Most recent

• M 4.1 — 2026-01-15
  14 km S of Arad, Israel
• M 4.1 — 2023-02-07
  Dead Sea region
• M 4.2 — 2015-07-30
  24 km NNE of ‘En Boqeq, Israel
• M 4 — 2007-12-02
  21 km SE of Mi?pé Yeri?o, Israel
• M 4.4 — 2007-11-23
  2 km NE of Karmé Yosef, Israel
• M 3.2 — 2007-11-20
  19 km WSW of M?dab?, Jordan