Al-Ukhaidir Fortress

{{short description|Ancient fortress built in Iraq}}

{{about|the medieval fortress in Iraq|the Ottoman fort in Saudi Arabia|al-Ukhaydir, Tabuk Province}}

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{{Infobox military installation

| name = Al-Ukhaidir Fortress

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| native_name = {{No italic|{{lang|ar|حصن الأخيضر}}}}

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| location = Karbala Governorate, Iraq

| nearest_town = Karbala

| country = Iraq

| image = Al-Akhdar Castle.jpg

| alt =

| caption = Al-Ukhaidir Fortress near Karbala in Iraq

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| coordinates = {{coord|32.440556|43.602222|type:landmark|display=inline}}

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| type = Fortress

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| pushpin_map = Iraq

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| pushpin_map_alt =

| pushpin_map_caption = Location in Iraq

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| pushpin_label = Al-Ukhaidir Fortress

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| ownership = Government of Iraq

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| open_to_public = Yes

| condition = Partially preserved

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| built = {{Start date|775}}

| built_for = Abbasid Caliphate

| builder = Isa ibn Musa

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| materials = Stone, brick

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| designations = UNESCO World Heritage Tentative List (2000)

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File:حصن الاخيضر (3).jpg

The Fortress of Al-Ukhaidir ({{langx|ar|حصن الأخيضر}}) or Abbasid palace of Ukhaider is located roughly 50 km south of Karbala, Iraq. It is a large, rectangular fortress erected in 775 AD with a unique defensive style. Constructed by the Abbasid caliph As-Saffah's nephew Isa ibn Musa,{{cite book |last1=Creswell |first1=Keppel Archibald Cameron |title=A short account of early Muslim Architecture |date=1958 |publisher=Penguin Books |pages=201–203}}{{Cite web|url=http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2015/12/iraq-karbala-ukhaidir-palace-neglect-history.html|title=Stepping back 1,300 years into Iraq's Ukhaidir palace - Al-Monitor: The Pulse of the Middle East|date=3 December 2015 }} Ukhaidir represents Abbasid architectural innovation in the structures of its courtyards, residences and mosque. Excavations at Ukhaidir were conducted in the early 20th century by Gertrude Bell, who wrote the first major report on the remains.{{Cite book|title=Palace and Mosque at Ukhaidir: A Study in Early Mohammadan Architecture|last=Bell|first=Gertrude|publisher=Clarendon Press|year=1914|location=Oxford}} Ukhaidir was an important stop on regional trade routes, similar to Atshan and Mujdah.[https://whc.unesco.org/en/tentativelists/1467/ The Fortress of Al-Ukhaidar - UNESCO World Heritage Centre] The complex comprises a primary hall, a large Iwan, a reception hall and servants quarters. The fortress exemplifies Abbasid architecture in Iraq by demonstrating the "despotic and the pleasure-loving character of the dynasty" in its grand size but cramped living quarters.Hillenbrand (1999).

The current name could be related to Isma'il ibn Yusuf al-Ukhaidhir from Banu Ukhaidhir who launched a rebellion against the Abbasid, then later he became the governor of Kufa with the support of Qarmatians.{{cite book |last1=Houtsma |first1=M. Th. |title=E.J. Brill's first encyclopaedia of Islam, 1913-1936 |publisher=Leiden ; New York : E.J. Brill |date=1993|page=994|isbn=9004097961}}