Bab Harat al-‘Ayn

Bab Harat al-‘Ayn

Bab Harat al-‘Ayn (eastern gate) exterior view (1994).
Photo courtesy of Soumyen Bandyopadhyay

Bab Harat al-‘Ayn consists of a double-storied structure, rectangular in plan, with another single-storied rectangular building built to its south along the settlement fortification. Distinctive in its isolated appearance, the entranceway is flanked by raised seats and has a large arched opening on the exterior and a slightly smaller but more defined pointed-arched opening on the inner face. The first-floor guard room, accessed by an external staircase along the southern wall, has numerous loopholes for defensive and ventilation purposes on both the exterior and interior façades. The loopholes on the interior façade are larger and less numerous than the ones on the exterior, although the side façades also contain loopholes and openings of varying shapes and sizes.

As-Sabah al-Qasab, the gatehouse guarding the eastern entrance to Harat al-Bilad.
Photo courtesy of Clive Gracey
Bab Harat al-‘Ayn, plan. Drawing courtesy of Soumyen Bandyopadhyay
As-Sabah al-Qasab seen from inside the settlement. The doorway to the right of the gatehouse led into a tribal meeting hall (sablat), known as Sablat al-Bustan (lit. The Garden Sablat) in reference to a fruit garden that was situated just outside Bab Harat al-‘Ayn.
Photo courtesy of Clive Gracey

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