Literary sources indicate that there were two types of audience: public (
majlis al-`amm) and private (
khass), the latter restricted to the closest aides and counsellors. During the audience the
caliph or his representative would sit on an elevated throne (
sarir), while the audience would be seated according to rank. Some buildings, like
Qusayr `Amra, Khirbet al-Mafjar near Jericho, and
Qasr al-Hayr al-Gharbi in Syria, have extensive iconographic programs showing musicians, dancers and female gift-bearers, pastimes that became an integral part of Umayyad court life.