Project UNESCO Tourist Trails and new signage systems05 — The Northern Quarter and Great Cistern Façade

Northern Quarter — Domestic Spaces, Cisterns, Greek Inscription

This area corresponds to the Northern Quarter of al-Habis. During the Crusader period, this area served mainly as a residential zone, with small houses and several domestic cisterns used for daily water needs. From here, you can look up and see the outer wall of the Great Cistern. On its façade are four carved blocks with a Greek inscription dating to the Late Roman or Early Byzantine period (2nd–4th century AD). Two of the blocks are positioned upside-down—likely because the Crusaders, unfamiliar with Greek, did not realize they were placing them incorrectly. Nearby, you can also see another Crusader cistern. It was probably used by residents of the Northern Quarter and was created by coating the interior of an old Nabataean tomb with a waterproof layer to store water. The steep, vertical rock walls surrounding this area belong to an ancient Nabataean or Roman stone quarry, which existed long before the Crusaders built their fortress on al-Habis.