Mshatta

(also al-Mushatta), a castle of the Umayyad (Omayyad) dynasty in Jordan, 25 km southeast of Amman. It was built in the eighth century; some researchers, however, date it to the third or fourth century. It was never completed and is now in ruins.

Mshatta was a square enclosure surrounded by walls with towers; there were regular structures along the sides of an inner court. The castle has become known for its ornamental frieze, which was carved in the stone of the lower part of the southern defensive wall. The frieze consists of large triangles, filled with realistically interpreted, intricately carved designs of interlacing grape vines, palmettos, rosettes, acanthus leaves, flowers, and animals.