Dâr al-Bahr (Palace of the Lake)

Dâr al-Bahr or the Lake Palace, so named for the large ornamental lake at its southern end, stands on the southern slope of Mount Takerboust; some literary sources, however, refer to it as the Emir Palace or the Government Palace. One of the largest complexes at Qal‘a, it rises up from the highest point of the city, in its very centre. A stone wall encloses the palace complex which is comprised of several distinct groups of buildings, each one separated by terraced gardens.

Previous archaeological digs and the lack of elements among the remains make it difficult to reach a definitive interpretation of these structures. It appears the ensemble was initially a citadel composed of several palaces.

The southern portion of the palace holds the complex of the ornamental lake or pool (facing east-west); it is separated from the other structures by a large garden. It is believed that this complex housed material for nautical entertainments. Structurally, the basin of the lake has the same features as the pools at the Alhambra[1]. There would have been a smaller pool to the west, set alongside an outdoor reception area, decorated with rectangular niches and coloured columns in stucco. A marble basin was found under the foundations of the north-west corner of the courtyard. One of the halls still has its cupola in the corner, a cupola in stucco with a finely-worked rosette motif, painted red, white and gold. To the north, a canalisation system for the baths is still intact made of ceramic and paved in brick. On the upper level, the vaults still have their coverings. Here, recipients for water and tubing with white glaze have been discovered. The organization of the halls and basins is quite similar to the layout of baths in Antiquity.

To the north at a higher elevation is the complex referred to as “the palace and cisterns”. It has been identified as the private apartments of the emir, of the harem and the servants’ quarters. Built on a north-south axis, it is comprised of multiple rooms. In the building to the south is a room built on a square plan with a niche, preceded by a rectangular hall, similar to the one in the Zîri Palace in Achir (10th century) and most likely the throne room.  The walls and floors were decorated in sculpted marble, brick and painted stucco—pink, blue, brown and gold. The cisterns in the basement, with their vaulted ceilings, provided the round basins with water. Some consider this section to be the oldest part of the palace.

The complex of the Lake has turned up a large amount of ceramic material. Several ceramic tiles decorated with metallic lustre on cream-coloured or turquoise glaze. Unfortunately, without the context, it is impossible to know exactly where they belonged. Their shape varies from semi-circular to curvilinear lozenges with epigraphic motifs and eight-pointed stars, or, there again, crosses making up different friezes, undoubtedly used in murals.

The Lake Palace is one of the most complete examples we have of the complexes built on the site of Qal‘a. Like the other edifices that have been discovered, it can be associated with Ifriqiyen and Egyptian architecture. Its projecting parts may be the heritage of the porches on the Mahdiya mosque in Ifriqiya or of the al-Hakîm mosque in Cairo (10th century). This ensemble heralded certain Sicilian palaces such as La Cuba and La Ziza, built during the second half of the 12th century, or later ones such as the Alhambra, where one can still see the important role of gardens and water in such palatial complexes.