[SunkenCiv]

[Erich Lessing]

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The Castle of the Slave is perched on a small hill in the Wadi as-Seer valley in Jordan. This second-century B.C.E. Hellenistic-style monument was the centerpiece of a large estate owned by the Tobiad family of Judea. The elegantly designed and elaborately decorated building known today as Qasr al-Abd was commissioned by Hyrcanus, the last of the Tobiads, who, according to Josephus, fled to the family estate after killing two of his brothers during a quarrel. But why did Hyrcanus build the monument? Was it really his palace? Was it meant to be an alternative to the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem? Or was it something else? [Erich Lessing]

[Spunky]

"Or was it something else?"

I hate it when a Freeper puts up an article that really peeks our interest and then when you go to the link you find you have to subscribe to find out the rest of the story.

Can you please tell us what the mystery is?

[Honorary Serb]

Thanks to the paywall, I can’t read most of this article, especially the part that claims that this is a “Jewish site”.

However, here’s some more info, from freely available sites:

http://www.select.jo/Amman-iraq-il-amir.shtm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qasr_al_Abd

This was the palace and temple of the Tobiah family, descended from the Ammonite Tobiah who had opposed the building of the Second Temple.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tobiah_(Ammonite)

I wouldn’t call it a “Jewish site”.

[edwinland]

the only mystery here is why you posted an article saying “mystery solved” when the solution requires a pay subscription. Are you trying to raise money for that website? or you are totally unaffiliated with that website but you think we just wanted to know that the supposed “mystery” was solved?

[UCANSEE2]

I think that’s a picture of a J-Mart.