The Eastern Roman Cemetery (The Askar Mausoleum)
The cemetery, named for its location to the west of Nablus city center, exemplifies private class burials from the Roman period. It is situated at the foot of Mount Ebal, bordered to the north by Al-Sikkah Street, to the east by Al-Kandi Primary School, to the south by Tamimi gas station and Haifa Street, and to the west by residential buildings.
Uncovered largely by the Jordanian Department of Antiquities from its western side, the cemetery’s eastern section was revealed in 1982 during the construction of Al-Kandi School.
This Roman-era cemetery features a distinct burial style, designed for the upper class of Roman society and known for its mausoleums. Burial practices varied based on the deceased's social, economic, and political status. This cemetery is one of two of its kind in the city, with the other being the Eastern Roman Cemetery located near Askar village in the city's far east.
The cemetery comprises three parallel burial chambers oriented east-west, preceded by a paved yard with intricately engraved limestone slabs on the western side. The yard measures 25.5 meters by 23.5 meters and includes two wells at the eastern and western ends for collecting rainwater—a tradition in Roman cemeteries for ritual purification of the dead.
Constructed according to Roman architectural style, the burial chambers are hewn from natural rock and feature a straight facade made of crushed limestone, with a preserved frontispiece standing 120 cm high. Decorative stone friezes, suggested by some found stone decorations, once adorned this facade.
Excavations revealed that the chambers vary in size and height. The central room measures 520 cm by 470 cm with a ceiling height of 250 cm, the eastern room is 325 cm by 310 cm with a ceiling height of 190 cm, and the western room is 325 cm by 300 cm with a ceiling height of 180 cm.
Each burial chamber is equipped with a thick stone door adorned with geometric motifs and features black basalt slides fixed with lead. The floors of the eastern and central rooms are paved with white mosaics, but the western room lacks such flooring. The facades of the chambers are plastered to seal rock fissures.
Twenty-four coffins, made from local limestone and adorned with geometric, floral, and animal motifs, were found in the central and eastern rooms, while the western room contained none. The cemetery and its tombs have suffered from tampering and neglect, leading to some distortion and loss of coffin parts.