The Abbasid palace of the caliph at Samarra is called Dar Al-Khalifa, Qasr al Khalifa or Jawsaq Al-Khaqan. Built in 221 AH (AD 836), the palace is one of the most famous of Islamic palaces. The ruins of the palace were described in the 1830s as a long t-shaped mass of ruins; today they are in much worse condition, having been robbed for bricks to build the modern city and subject to modern conflict.
The palace is located on the east bank of the Tigris river. The largest and oldest unit of the palace is a square building measuring 180x200 meters, which includes the Dar al-Amma (the House of the Caliph), the throne halls, and the harem. On the north side of this structure is a later, second palace building with a smaller square reception hall and residential apartments.
Source
A detailed discussion of the Palace of the Caliph can be found in the paper by Alistair Northedge listed here, free for the download from ArchNet.
Northedge, Alistair. 1993. An interpretation of the palace of the caliph at Samarra (Dar al-Khilafa or Jawsaq al-Kahqani). In Ars Orientalis, Vol. 23. Gülru Necipoglu, ed. Ann Arbor: Department of History, University of Michigan. Free download via Archnet
This glossary entry is part of the Dictionary of Archaeology.
