The Umayyad caliphs had been racing and boasting on rendering the necessary services and securing the roads for the pilgrims.
Among the most famous caliphs known for such a noble service was Al-Waleed Al Thani who was reported to have stayed in Zizya to be close to the pilgrim’s road, and to service and take care of the performers of Haj.
The remains of this Caliph’s palace are still witnessing for his deeds in the area of Al Qastal, 25 km south of Amman, and near Queen Alia’s international Airport. The area is 753m above sea level and lies on a branch road of the international Trajan road.
Al- Qastal in Arabic means the place where water splits in different directions,” or the shining dust”. Others, however, maintain that the term refers to the Latin word” castle” in an attempt to prove that the palace was originally Roman, a theory that was not proven valid. Surveys, archeological studies, ruins findings, and the building system all vouch for Al bait Al Shami( The Syrian House). In addition, the kind of mosaic found was of Umayyad character, let alone that Al Qastal is a city well known in the Umayyad epoch and mentioned by many poets of the time.