Qal’at an-Nasr

Qal’at an-Nasr

The wall stretching east from Bab an-Nasr has a sharp return northwards, indicating an eighteenth century eastward expansion of the zarah. West of the gateway is the circular-plan tower, Qal’at an-Nasr, slightly projected beyond the gate. The short stretch of wall between this tower and Burj al-Mardufah – the turret on the southwest corner, contains elaborate defence arrangements. This turret has a substantial, slightly tapering, lower tier built in distinctive thin, regular stone courses, which is surmounted by a mud-brick upper tier (or possibly two, at one time), also tapering, but of a smaller diameter, set back from the lower tier perimeter.

The most impressive feature of this defence installation is Qal’at an-Nasr – riddled with bullet holes, a reminder of festivities, but also the battles fought between the harah dwellers and the tribes occupying the fort from time to time. It has a solid base tier. Its uppermost tier is accessed from inside the harah by an external staircase that partly wraps around its circumference, while a shorter flight placed at right angles to the wall gives access to the tier beneath. Midway between this Qal‘at and the turret, a rectilinear turret-like sentry box pushes its head prominently above the line of the wall, although hardly projecting beyond the harah wall. An elevated sentry-walk runs behind the entire stretch of the wall, with stairs near Burj al-Mardufah giving access from the ground, and a well and a water trough close to it. The sentry-walk is partially interjected by the solid base of the sentry box, whose upper level is accessed by a narrow set of steps.