Qusayr ‘Amra is perhaps the most enigmatic of the so-called Umayyad “desert castles” that inhabit the landscape of the Syro-Jordanian steppe and the more arid regions to the east of it. These “castles,” or qusur as they are commonly referred to in Arabic, are in fact residences, bathhouses, hunting lodges, and farms built by the elites of the Umayyad dynasty (661–750 CE). Built sometime in the first half of the eighth-century CE, Qusayr ‘Amra consists of a bath complex (a large hall and three small bathing rooms), a deep stone well, a cistern, and a hydraulic installation with a waterwheel. The most notable feature of Qusayr ‘Amra, and what has beguiled scholars and travelers since the end of the nineteenth century, is the frescoed interior of the bath complex. Indeed, these four hundred-and-fifty square meters of painted walls are among the most extensive and complete decorative programs to survive from the ancient world. The frescos depict a seemingly disparate collection of subjects including hunting scenes, dancing girls, musicians, royal portraiture, astronomical representations, as well as craftsmen at work. Even though these paintings (and the complex as a whole) have inspired copious interpretations, their date, meaning, and patronage remain unclear. In...