Iraq Al-Amir (“Caves of the Prince”) was an estate founded by a Jewish family called “Tuviah” in the 2nd Century BCE.
According to Josephus the family functioned as tax collectors for the Ptolemies, and one of their members, Hyrcanus, built a massive complex, that included images of animals (Ant. 12:23-233).
It is tempting to identify this complex at “Qasr el-Abd” (Arabic: “Castle of the slave”), a magnificant stone building, decorated with lions and eagles.
In the cliffs nearby 15 caves were carved for various purposes. On two of them the name “Tuviah” is chiesled in Aramaic Hebrew.
|Iraq Al-Amir on Wikipedia|
|Iraq Al-Amir on Tripadvisor|
|Iraq Al-Amir on Google Maps|
Points of Interest in the Area
|Bethany beyond the Jordan|
Go for a Virtual Stroll in “Qasr el Abed”!