Wasfi al-Tal Mausoleum

Suwaylih, Jordan

The mausoleum and residence of Wasfi Tal are separate buildings on adjacent sites near the old village of Sweileh, 17 km west of Amman. The house was built in 1951.

Following the death of the late Prime Minister Wasfi Tal in 1971, his widow built his mausoleum near their house. The small mausoleum is built on the highest level of the rocky site and, therefore, dominates the skyline. It consists of a series of articulated, rectangular volumes. A large, pointed-arch iwan dominates the front façade. The main entrance is recessed in an arched niche. Two small domes, a minaret, surmount the prayer iwan and mausoleum chamber. The mausoleum has few openings and is characterized by its simple, rough-cut stone façades. The building is devoid of elaborate decorative detail; its aesthetic is derived from the shapes and planes of its various contours.

The interior tomb chamber is a vaulted iwan with stone walls and wooden mashrabiya screens (brought from Cairo) separating the tomb from the prayer area. In front of the mausoleum, an open court was paved with stone for outdoor prayer in summer. Surrounding the mausoleum are a series of terraces formed by low lying stone retaining walls. It is landscaped with native olive trees.

The buildings are constructed of stone bearing walls; with a mortar of crushed stone and mud concrete slabs that was used minimally. Infill is of clay block for partition walls. Clay plaster was used for interior façades of the house. Floors are terrazzo tiles.


Source: Aga Khan Trust for Culture