The Ummayad Dynasty invested a lot of money in construction in both Jerusalem and Jericho. During the reign of el-Hisham, the construction of an elaborate palace about one mile northeast of the tell of Jericho was begun. The complex includes a bath, a mosque, and a residence. The bathhouse is paved with beautiful mosaics. Its construction may have been supervised by Hisham’s successor, Walid ibn Yazid (also known as Walid II; ruled 743-744 CE).
The palace was never completed because of Walid’s assassination in 744 and was later destroyed by an earthquake.