Museums

Dar As-Saraya Museum

Department of Antiquities’s Vision

Jordan's rich and diverse archaeological and cultural heritage has received national and international significance. It is preserved, interpreted, and protected in accordance with the best international standards, as well as presented in a sustainable manner. The vision is based on the implementation of the following values:

Considering Jordan's archaeological sites are the best at the international level due to their quality.

Manage archaeological heritage in line with international best practices and its significant contribution to Jordan's economy and the well-being of local communities.

Stakeholders' roles in the management of archaeological heritage are regulated, and responsibilities are clearly defined, but they operate within a framework that allows for full integration between administrative practices and have the support of amended legislation.

Citizens appreciate Jordan's rich and widely diverse archaeological heritage.

Museum Story

The Dar As Saraya building is located at the southern edge of Tall Irbid. Its layout bears resemblance to the plans of castles and caravanserais established by the Ottomans along the Levantine Pilgrimage Road.

According to Schumacher in 1885, the southern entrance was topped with an arch that led to a square heavenly courtyard surrounded by rows of arches made of limestone and basalt stones.

The heavenly courtyard rises on several demolished steps to the second floor, where there are a few antiquities left on the southern side.

The arches were used to provide shelter for herders and their livestock, as well as soldiers, during the winter months.

The presence of the fortifications within the first and second western arcs of the building strongly suggests its role as a castle, totaling 12 fortifications.

Above the southern entrance, there is an inscription dating back to the year 1886.

Afterwards, the building became the headquarters of the Ottoman ruler (As Saraya). The building then underwent a series of transformations and modifications, with additional units and walls being incorporated during its time as a prison before 1994.

In 1994, the Department of Antiquities took over the building and embarked on the journey to transform it into its current state, as well as formally opening it as an archaeological museum in 2007.

Museum Exhibition Halls

Within the museum, there are a total of seven halls that narrate the story of Irbid, spanning from the Stone Ages all the way to the Islamic Ages. It adopted the chronology style, beginning with the Stone Age and concluding with the Islamic Ages. Additionally, the museum boasts a mining hall, a mosaic hall, and an open-air gallery in the museum square.

First: Irbid Hall

Second: Antiquity Hall million-332BC

Paleolithic (1 million - 16000 B.C.)- Use stones as tools
Epi-Paleolithic (16000 - 8500 B.C.)- The beginning of stability
Neolithic (8500 - 4500 B.C.)- Stability and excess production
Chalcolithic (4500 - 3200 B.C.) - Production of food and artisanal specialization
Early Bronze Age (3200 - 2000 B.C.) - The beginning of the emergence of cities
Middle Bronze (2000-1550 B.C.) - Civilizational interaction with neighboring civilizations
Late Bronze Age (1550 - 1200 B.C.)- The prosperity of cultural interaction with neighboring civilizations
Iron Age(1200 - 332 B.C.) - between independence and superpower control

Third: Mining Hall

Fourth : Classical Period Hall 332BC- 640AD

Hellenic Civilization (332-63 BC)Greece's control over caravan routes
Roman Civilization (63 BC-324 AD)The creation of the Decapolis
Byzantine Civilization (324-640 AD)christianity in the East

Fifth: Sculpture Hall

Sixth: Islamic Periods Hall (661 - 1918 AD)

The Umayyad period (661-750 AD)Umayyad dynasty established the Umayyad State with Damascus as its capital
The Abbasid period (750-969 AD)the founding of the Abbasid State that began from the Humayma south of Jordan
The Ayyubid Mamluk period (1174-1516)the victory of Commander salah in the Battle of Hattin in 1187 and the opening of Jerusalem
Ottoman period (1516-1918 AD)Ottoman control of the East and establishment of the levantine pilgrimage road

Seventh: Mosaic Hall