The Qasr al-Baluʿa is a monumental Iron Age structure located at the highpoint of Khirbat al-Baluʿa, a 16-ha multi-period settlement with extensive Iron Age II-period remains. Overlooking the Wadi Baluʿa, the qasr stands prominent on the horizon of the site. This paper would provide a brief review of the history of exploration and theories of interpretation surrounding the qasr. In 1930 a yet-undeciphered inscribed stele, the Baluʿa Stele, was found and excited interest in the structure and in its possible contributions to understanding state formation in the Moabite region. Current excavations by the Baluʿa Regional Archaeological Project (BRAP) against the exterior northern wall of the qasr have preliminarily clarified its construction phases, including defining the pre-structure preparation surfaces and initial construction in the Iron Age down to its reuse in the Nabatean period. Pottery and radiocarbon dates assist in anchoring the construction and use of this building.
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