Monument of the past: Jordan’s relationship with Jerusalem

In 1965, King Hussein wanted to make a material statement regarding Jordan’s sovereignty over East Jerusalem. After declaring it to be the Hashemite Kingdom’s second capital, he decided to build a vacation residence on the summit of Tell el-Ful.

In 1965, King Hussein wanted to make a material statement regarding Jordan‘s sovereignty over East Jerusalem. After declaring it to be the Hashemite Kingdom’s second capital, he decided to build a vacation residence on the summit of Tell el-Ful.

The late Jordanian King Hussein’s partially built summer palace, however, remained as a concrete shell, abandoned following the Six-Day War.

Today, a half-century after the Six-Day War, Tell el-Ful is a place where time appears to have come to a standstill.

High on a hill in Occupied East Jerusalem stands, untouched, the abandoned concrete frame of what was supposed to become a royal palace; a stark reminder of battles over Jerusalem.

Al Jazeera’s Alan Fisher sheds light on this connection between the Jordanian royal family and Jerusalem.