Name of Object:

Fresco on the Cupola

Location:

Amman, Jordan

Holding Museum:

In situ at Qusayr ‘Amra

About In situ at Qusayr ‘Amra, Amman

Original Owner:

Possibly al-Walid II (AH 125–6 / AD 743–4)

Date of Object:

Hegira first third of the 2nd century / AD first half of the 8th century

Material(s) / Technique(s):

Fresco.

Dimensions:

n/a

Period / Dynasty:

Umayyad

Provenance:

Qusayr ‘Amra, Jordan.

Description:

The caldarium or hot room in the hammam (bath) at Qusayr ‘Amra has a fresco of the constellations on the cupola; the earliest surviving representation of the stars on a spherical surface. The painting was apparently copied from a manuscript and transferred to the cupola. A number of errors in the placement of the constellations indicate the painting was executed by someone who was not familiar with Astrology.

The fresco of the constellations on the cupola of the caldarium at Qusayr ‘Amra is the earliest surviving representation of the stars on a spherical surface. A number of errors in the placements indicate that the painter was not familiar with astrology.

How date and origin were established:

Qusayr ‘Amra and its frescos date to the Umayyad period, an accurate dating achieved primarily through analysis of some of the paintings in situ, the most important being the fresco panel depicting six rulers; 'The Family of Kings'. Their names, written above their heads in Arabic and Greek, identify them as: 'Caesar', the Byzantine emperor; 'Kisra', the Sasanian emperor; the king of Abbyssinia (Ethiopia); and 'Roderick', the Visigothic king of Spain. Historical inference has established the identities of the other two as the emperor of China and the ruling prince 'khaqan' of the Turks. Since Roderick ruled for only one year before he was killed in AH 92 / AD 711, this date provides a terminus post quem for construction of the monument.

How Object was obtained:

The fresco is in situ at Qusayr ‘Amra.

How provenance was established:

The fresco decorates the cupola in the caldarium of the hammam at Qusayr ‘Amra.

Selected bibliography:

Beer, A., 'The Astronomical Significance of the Zodiac of Qusayr Amra', in K. A. C. Creswell, Early Muslim Architecture, Vol. 1, Oxford, 1932, pp.296–303.
Brunet, J.-P., 'The Fresco of the Cupola of Qusayr Amra', Centaurus, Vol. 40, 1998, pp.97–123.
Saxl, F., 'The Zodiac of Qusayr Amra', in K. A. C. Creswell, Early Muslim Architecture, Vol. 1, Oxford, 1932, pp.289–94.

Citation of this web page:

Ghazi Bisheh "Fresco on the Cupola" in Discover Islamic Art, Museum With No Frontiers, 2025.
https://islamicart.museumwnf.org/database_item.php?id=object;ISL;jo;Mus01_H;50;en

Prepared by: Ghazi BishehGhazi Bisheh

Ghazi Bisheh is an archaeologist and former Director General of the Department of Antiquities of Jordan. He studied archaeology at the University of Jordan, and history of Islamic art and architecture at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, from where he holds his Ph.D. He was affiliated to the Department of Antiquities of Jordan for most of the period between 1980 and 1999, and was its Director General twice (1988–91 and 1995–9). He was also an associate professor of archaeology at Yarmouk University during the early 1990s. He is the author of numerous publications, including The Umayyads: The Rise of Islamic Art (Brussels: Museum With No Frontiers, 2000), of which he is a co-author. He has carried out excavation work both inside and outside Jordan in sites such as Qasr al-Hallabat, Madaba, Carthage and Bahrain. He is a member of the German Archaeological Institute and is the Deputy Director of the International Council of Museums for the Arab countries.
Copyedited by: Mandi GomezMandi Gomez

Amanda Gomez is a freelance copy-editor and proofreader working in London. She studied Art History and Literature at Essex University (1986–89) and received her MA (Area Studies Africa: Art, Literature, African Thought) from SOAS in 1990. She worked as an editorial assistant for the independent publisher Bellew Publishing (1991–94) and studied at Bookhouse and the London College of Printing on day release. She was publications officer at the Museum of London until 2000 and then took a role at Art Books International, where she worked on projects for independent publishers and arts institutions that included MWNF’s English-language editions of the books series Islamic Art in the Mediterranean. She was part of the editorial team for further MWNF iterations: Discover Islamic Art in the Mediterranean Virtual Museum and the illustrated volume Discover Islamic Art in the Mediterranean.

True to its ethos of connecting people through the arts, MWNF has provided Amanda with valuable opportunities for discovery and learning, increased her editorial experience, and connected her with publishers and institutions all over the world. More recently, the projects she has worked on include MWNF’s Sharing History Virtual Museum and Exhibition series, Vitra Design Museum’s Victor Papanek and Objects of Desire, and Haus der Kulturen der Welt’s online publication 2 or 3 Tigers and its volume Race, Nation, Class.

MWNF Working Number: JO 91