Walid II was the Caliph for only a year, but he had been a powerful prince for years before this, so he’s credited with some of the most sumptuous building in Syria. Walid was a party animal, though he also remained a devout Muslim. He had slave girls, alcohol, and whatever money could buy.
He is remembered by archeologists and tourists to Jordan for a small hunting lodge called Qusayr Amra. Its name means “castle,” but it isn’t a fortified dwelling of any sort. It seems to have been a meeting hall with a bathhouse, while guests slept in tents around it. If there were other buildings, they are now gone.
It’s famous for interior murals that cover the walls and ceiling. The stone walls were plastered to make a smooth surface, with the color added to fresh plaster. Over time some of this has chipped and split off, so the images are partial and damaged.
The murals show kings who have been defeated by the Islamic armies: the Roman Emperor, the Sasanian (Persian) Emperor, the King of Visigothic Spain, the King of Ethiopia, and two that may represent China and the Turks. There are scenes of the Caliph and his men hunting wild animals, and scenes of women bathing. A map of the night sky is painted on one domed ceiling.
Walid II’s behavior was scandalous even by Umayyad standards. He loved poetry and horse racing, in addition to parties and slave girls. When he became Caliph, he arrested and jailed Caliph Hisham’s sons, his cousins. One of these sons was a popular and successful general, and Walid ordered him flogged. Another cousin, the son of Walid I and a Persian princess, plotted to overthrow him.
Walid II fled to a castle near Palmyra to escape the coup in Damascus. He wasn’t safe there either. His cousin Yazid sent the son of al-Hajjaj, the longtime governor of Iraq, to find and kill him.
Yazid III became Caliph, but he did not live long to enjoy it. He died of a brain tumor after just a few months. He designated his brother as successor, but another Umayyad cousin had a stronger faction and became Marwan II.
Marwan II ruled for six years, but in reality the dynasty’s power was falling into chaos the whole time. Spies crisscrossed the empire, carrying seditious messages between various leaders, both within the Umayyad family and without. The effect was like termites.
- Caliphate: The History of an Idea, by Hugh Kennedy