The Archaeological Palace of Shamoun

The Palace of Shamoun is considered one of the oldest monuments in the city of Karbala, dating back to the pre-Islamic period.

Several interpretations exist regarding the reason for naming the palace after Shamoun. The first opinion traces it to the fifth century CE, attributing it to Shamoun ibn Jabal Al Lakhmi, one of the prominent Christian scholars and clergymen who converted Al Nu'man ibn Al Mundhir, one of the kings of Al Hira, to Christianity in the sixth century CE.

The other opinion holds that the palace is attributed to King Shamoun, one of the Jewish kings who dwelt in the Shathatha region before the Islamic conquest of Iraq.

Nothing remains of the palace at present except ruins and some massive elevated walls, the thickness of its surviving corners reaching two meters and their height approximately seven meters above ground level.

The palace's perimeter is 500 meters, and at its center is an underground cellar six meters long and three meters deep. It was built with clay and limestone, the same materials used to build the Palace of Bardawil and Al Ukhaidir Fortress.

Its northern side was subjected to demolition, while part of the southern side remains, containing three underground cellars, one of which is in good condition. A standing gate that was in its wall dating to 1911 CE has since disappeared.