Room 3 measures 5.60m x 4.50m and is partially rock cut (NE side) and partially built up (SW side), covered with arches (figs. ). As already observed during the partial excavation of that room in 2003, the initial, i. e. Nabataean floor level is not anymore existing, since the entire surface had been reused in later times including the Medieval period as is indicated by corresponding pottery found on the bed rock. During later times the room was subject to different modifications. The rock cut channel that initial was constructed to deliver water into the big cistern outside the complex (see below) was completely filled up with smaller and bigger stones. The fill contained a substantial amount of broken pottery, all of it belonging to the last quarter of the 1st century AD (Fig. 6).
Fig. 5: Wadi Farasa East, lower terrace; room 3, water channel and closed doorway (photo: S. G. Schmid)
Together with the pottery, two small rounded stones were found, maybe used as bullets (Fig. 6). Therefore, the composition of the finds – pottery of the late 1st century AD and possible stone bullets – is exactly the same as the one on the lowest level of the big cistern according to the results of our excavation in 2003 and 2004 See Schmid – Barmasse 2003 and below. . Although the opening cut into the rock is at some stretches of considerable width and depth, the initial water channel must have been rather narrow as is indicated by a fragment of a stone cut water channel that was found in the fill and must have belonged to the initial construction. This underlines once more the technical skills of the Nabataeans, especially in terms of water management: for the construction and maintenance of a water channel, it was easier to construct it from hewn stones bedded into a rock cut foundation.
Fig. 6: Nabataean pottery and possible stone bullets from room 3 (photo: S. G. Schmid)
Initially, a large door gave access from room 3 to the northern portico, but in later times it was first narrowed to about half of its size and eventually completely closed by rather careless alignments of stones (Fig. 5 top center and right). Within room 3 some elements of the bronze decoration of a wooden furniture (or door) were found, similar to decoration elements from late Roman contexts discovered by the Swiss excavations on az-Zantur Personal communication by Dr. Bernhard Kolb, Basel. .
Fig. 7: Room 3, bronze elements from the decoration of a wooden furniture (photo: S. G. Schmid)
Room 8 is a stunning combination of rock cut and built up architecture. Its maximum outside dimensions are of 4.30 m x 5.60 m (Figs. 8. 9). Whilst its southern and western parts are freely constructed of high quality blocks, the northern and eastern walls, although constructed from the same type of blocks, are leaning at the natural rock that was cut away for that purpose.
Fig. 8: Wadi Farasa East, lower terrace; room 8 (photo: S. G. Schmid)Fig. 9: Wadi Farasa East, lower terrace; rooms 7 and 8 (photo: S. G. Schmid)
Already in 2003 we exposed the doorway leading to room 8 and it became clear that this room was rather narrow but conserved up to considerable height (Fig. 9). As became soon clear during the excavation, room 8 is a staircase leading up to the first floor of the entrance building of the Soldier’s Tomb complex. The staircase is built around a central rock pillar and the first two courses of stairs are built upon the rock as well (Fig. 8). Nevertheless, in the Nabataean period the rock was not visible, since it was covered by slabs measuring 1.10 m in length and by a massive wall. Two slabs forming the first two steps were found in situ and, therefore, we know that the height of one slab corresponds to 16 cm. On the central rock pillar, a small rectangular zone is visible, that was carefully cut away (Fig. 8, where the meter is). This is a first indication for additional courses of steps, as the staircase most probably was continuing: The bottom of the staircase is at 930.73 m asl; the top of the rock pillar in the middle is at 932.90 m asl, plus the 16cm of the slabs (now lost) brings us to 933.06 m asl; therefore, the difference is of 2.33 m. Interestingly, the rock on the top of our structure, i. e. the bottom of the first floor is at 935.26 m asl, plus the 16cm of the slab (now lost) gives 935.42 m asl and, therefore, a supposed difference between the middle of the staircase and the top of it of 2.36 m, almost exactly the same one than for the first half.
Fig. 10: Wadi Farasa East, lower terrace; room 9 (photo: S. G. Schmid)
In Medieval times the staircase was reused but apparently only up to half of its initial height. At this moment, an additional door was constructed opening towards North and, therefore, allowing a connection with the outside. In Nabataean times the staircase was directly accessible from the outside (see below) and through a small door in the huge entrance hall (room 1, cf. fig. 1), first leading into room 7 and then into the staircase (room 8).
Fig. 11: Wadi Farasa East, lower terrace; room 9 with Nabataean (right) and Medieval (left) walls (photo: S. G. Schmid)
Room 9 measures 3.50 m x 3.50 m and is built in front of room 7 (figs. 10. 11; cf. fig. 1). As became soon clear, room 9 is the result of a Medieval construction activity in that area and had no Nabataean predecessor. In the southern wall of room 9, a Nabataean door, initially giving access to room 7 (cf. fig. 1) was closed by stone blocks and subsequently a arch was built against it (Fig. 10 top left). For the construction of the Medieval room 9 the outer walls of the Nabataean rooms 7 and 8 (staircase) were used, while two new walls had to be built in order to construct the northern and western sides of room 9. These new walls are built in a careless technique and stand on 30 cm of sand, while the Nabataean walls were carefully put on a specially cut surface directly on the bedrock (Fig. 11). Further, in modern times the western wall of room 9 was reused in order to construct a path and showed massive use of cement.
Fig. 12: Wadi Farasa East, lower terrace; rock plateau with Medieval room (photo: S. G. Schmid)
In order to completely expose the northern part of the Soldier’s Tomb complex, cleaning of the rocky outcrop at the NE corner of the complex was begun (Fig. 12).
Fig. 13: Medieval pottery from Medieval room on rock plateau (photo: S. G. Schmid)
The cleaning revealed an other Medieval room measuring 6.0 m x 4.6 m, built in a careless technique by reused stones and containing an important amount of the so-called Ayubid-Mamluk pottery (Fig. 13).
