Tower of Elahbel
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34°33′13″N 38°15′01″E / 34.5535764°N 38.2503176°E |
The Tower of Elahbel (also known as Tower 13 or Kubbet el 'Arus
Description
The tower was one of several multiple-storey stone funerary buildings in a
The Tower of Elahbel was a tower of four storeys, with an approximately square plan, constructed from large sandstone blocks. The ground storey was slightly larger, and stepped back to the upper floors. A single door in the south face of the ground floor led to the interior, with an inscription plaque and round headed niche (like a window or balcony) decorating the otherwise blank wall above. The chambers inside were decorated inside with Corinthian pilasters and a painted coffered ceiling. The tower was partially reconstructed after it was visited by Gertrude Bell in 1900, and visitors could climb an internal staircase to the upper tomb chamber, and then the roof. Inside, the tower was divided into loculi, separate compartments like pigeonholes or a columbarium used to store the sarcophagi of deceased wealthy Palmyrenes, with each cell sealed with a carved and painted image of the occupant.
Destruction
The site containing the ruins of the ancient Palmyra, including the tower, was captured by ISIL in May 2015. Some portable carvings from the tombs had previously been removed to safety. Others were already held by museums. After ISIL/ISIS destroyed parts of the temples of Baalshamin and Bel later in 2015, the Tower of Elahbel and several other less well preserved tower tombs were reportedly blown up in August 2015, including the Tower of Iamblichus.[2]
Gallery
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Panoramic view
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Panoramic view
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Balcony niche at the tower, in 2010
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Interior of the tower, in 2010
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Statue in the tower, in 2010
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Examples of Palmyrene loculi (from theIstanbul Archaeological Museum)
See also
References
- ^ "A_282 - Tadmur (Palmyra)". Gertrude Bell Archive.
- ^ "Islamic State 'blows up Palmyra funerary towers'". BBC News Online. BBC Online. BBC. 4 September 2015. Retrieved 19 November 2019.
Sources
- Roman Palmyra: Identity, Community, and State Formation, Andrew M. Smith II, p. 93-95
- Palmyra, Tower Tomb of Elahbel
- Rome in the East: The Transformation of an Empire, Warwick Ball, p. 366