Tower Of Elahbel

                   The tower of Elahbel was a four story sandstone tomb tower located in the ancient city of Palmyra in Syria which is referred to as the Valley of the Tombs. The tower itself serves more than 300 bodies in its four story tower. In the beginning of the first century (A.D.), the tombs ere mainly built underground. The tower tomb was built in 103 A.D. by the four brothers who were: Elabel, Shagai, Mogimo, and Maani. The tower itself was also completed in 103 A.D. by a Palmyrene aristocrat Marcus Ulpius Elabelus. The Tower of Elahbel has an approximate square plan and was 

constructed with large sandstone blocks. The tower tombs intend to occupy high ground and were likely built for kinship groupings. Inside the tower, the burial chambers were enhanced with Corinthian Pillar and painted coffered ceilings.  

                   The tower tombs went under an extreme renovation after the middle of the 1st century A.D. The ground floor and second floor have separate access but they are connected by a staircase. In the tower there is a single door in the south face of the ground floor which leads into an interior area where there was an in scripted plaque and round head window. Inside the tower of Elahbel the place is divided into something called Loculi. Loculi is an architectural compartmentthat houses a body which is more like a catacomb or hypogeum. Each loculi would then be sealed with a stone slab and carved with a portrait. The individual loculi palliation sculptures present an affluent range of  iconographic information about the people of Palmyra. These individualized mitigations are formatted as portrait mitigations and depict their subjects intimately, often with symbols of their status and gregarious position. On the inside of the tower, it shows masonry that is nearly almost completed consisting of a door which has a frame. Also, in the tower of Elahbel, there is a floor where it's on top of the tower where all four sides connect to each other.

Tower of Elahbel Window with inscripted plaque

                      Later on, the towers were reconstructed by Gertrude Bell in the 1900s. The tower tombs fascinated travelers to Palmyra starting from the 18th century. The tower tomb and floors became more of a pattern and was established around the middle of the 1st century.  The Tower of Elahbel had very unique designs which changed twice in the past 200 years. Th Tower which is located in Palmyra played a very important role in the Palmaryian history, as well as for parts of the Roman Civilization. Unfortunately, in 2015, Isis came and destroyed several parts of the historic tower. Some artifacts and paintings from the tower were removed safely and some were placed in a museum, but most of the artifacts was lost to history. 

Tower Of Elahbel's Floor Plan

Works Cited:
[1] http://www.lonelyplanet.com/syria/palmyra/sights/architecture/tower-elahbel

[2] http://romeartlover.tripod.com/Palmyra5.html
[3] Guides, Inside. Insight Guides: Silk Road.