Iraq Al Amir

The name of the cave network on the northwest side of Wadi al-Seer, Iraq al-Amir, which translates to 'Caves of The Prince,' also applies to the entire region, including a tiny village in the valley.

On-site attractions include:

• The bottom floor of the original two-story building with its two entrances.
• The ruins of magnificent life-size lion reliefs flanking the building corners.
• Leopard fountains on each lateral wall.
• Several capitals.
• Other building and ornamental components.
• With its highlands, hills with many springs, and fame for its olive trees in addition to other forest trees, it is regarded as one of the distinctive regions in Jordan.

One of these caves is lined with what appear to be seats suitable for a feast or a meeting; another has a more somber appearance and is divided into cubicles that are about the length of an adult when they are supine; still, another has a high ceiling over what appear to be carved walls, enclosing a large room that could have housed several families. These caves are no longer regularly inhabited, but shepherds still occasionally keep sheep or donkeys. Many bats live in these gloomy dungeons as well.

From the paved road, stone steps provide quick access to the fifteen caverns on the cliff face. Six caves are located on the lower level, and nine are on the upper level. The nine caves are connected by a 300-meter gallery, offering a breathtaking view of the surrounding area.

The name of the cave network on the northwest side of Wadi al-Seer, Iraq al-Amir, which translates to 'Caves of The Prince,' also applies to the entire region, including a tiny village in the valley.

The caverns' function as a refuge during the Paleolithic era is indicated by scrapers and bone hunting implements discovered inside. The columbarium (dovecote), a stone block with niches at the left end of the upper level, links the caverns to early cultic rituals. The upper caves may have served as stables for Hyrcanus, the powerful head of the Tobiad family, who is thought to have given the order to construct the Qasr al-Abd palace, which is visible down in the middle of the green valley. There are water basins next to the upper caves, remnants of interior divisions, and the remains of a former ramp. The enormous carved phrases that adorn the openings to two of the caverns are possibly the feature that most stands out about these caves. Block letters that spell 'Toviyah' are written in an early Hebrew alphabet (some claim it is Aramaic, but it is most likely just an early, non-standardized Hebrew script). This name is Hebrew and means 'God is good' (tov = good, yah = God).

Further proof of this notion can be found just a short distance from these caves. Hyrcanus, the governor of Ammon, constructed the nearby Qasr al-'Abed ('Palace of the Slave' in Arabic) in the second century BCE.