Spreading over 60 hectares (150 acres), it consists of three main parts: a palace, an ornate bath complex, and an agricultural estate. Also associated with the site is a large park or agricultural enclosure (ḥayr) which extends east of the palace. An elaborate irrigation system provided the complex with water from nearby springs.

circa 710 CE

Establishing a secure historical framework for Hisham's Palace remains challenging due to the absence of direct textual references to the site. The primary source of information is archaeological excavation, with one notable discovery being an ostracon bearing the name "Hisham," found during Baramki's excavations. This find was interpreted as evidence suggesting the site’s construction during the reign of Caliph Hishām ibn ʿAbd al-Malik. However, Robert Hamilton later proposed that the palace might have served as a residence for al-Walid ibn Yazid, a nephew of Hisham known for his extravagant lifestyle. While it is archaeologically certain that the site dates to the Umayyad dynasty in the early 8th century, the precise details of its patronage and use remain unclear.

circa 710 CE

Palace-Complex
The so-called "palace", situated in the south-west corner of the modern day archaeological site, is the central largest building at the site, a roughly square building with round towers at the corners. The entrance to the palace structure was through a monumental arched gate (inspect) on the center of the east side.

The inner rooms on the ground level, of the two story complex, were aligned around a central courtyard surrounded by paved porticos (riwaq). The central courtyard is paved with limestone slabs and surrounded by four arcaded galleries. Rooms for guests, servants, and storage were arranged along the outer premises. Some rooms had mosaic paved floors and wall paintings. A small private mosque chamber was situated in the center of the south portico. The small rectangular mosque also contained a mihrab built into the outer (south) wall facing Mecca.

Steps in opposite corners of the hall probably led to the caliph's private quarters on the upper floor.

Along the western edge of the riwaq courtyard a flight of steps led down in to a sirdab (cold bath). The floor of the evaulted underground bathing-pool was elaborately decorated with mosaics. The entrance hall had benches along its walls and and a triply arched entrance provided access to a shallow pool with vaulted roof (inspect). The serdab was fed through a water channel cut into the wall on the western side. The water for this cold-bath and the nearby hammam was sourced from the springs at the base of the of the Mount of Temptation (Jabal Quruntul) nearly 3 kilometers to the south-west. The water was transported to the palace-complex via a system of aqueducts spanning water-channels, bridges and clay pipes.