The façade of the tomb at Umm al-'Amed features a distyle in antis arrangement, with two columns standing between projecting antae. The columns rest on
Attic bases and are believed to have originally supported
Ionic capitals. Above them runs a Doric
frieze carved with
rosette motifs, surmounted by a hybrid Doric-Ionic cornice. The entablature extends beyond the limits of the tomb's entrance, continuing across shallow pilasters on either side of the façade., featuring
metopes adorned with
rosette motifs alongside
triglyphs The tomb is built of carved ashlar courses with drafted margins, a decorative technique imitating the stonework of
Herod's
Temple Mount enclosure walls and the
northeast tower of the Herodian citadel (now part of the
Tower of David complex) in Jerusalem, as well as the Herodian walls at two sites in
Hebron: the
Mamre site and the
Cave of the Patriarchs. The top draft of each carved block is slightly wider than the bottom, a feature characteristic of Herodian stonework. The surfaces are claw-dressed, while the flat bosses lack the point-picking seen on the originals.
Comparative context The tomb at Umm al-'Amed has served as a reference point in the study of Second Temple-period tombs beyond Jerusalem. Scholars have noted architectural parallels with other contemporary monuments, including the 1st century BCE
Deir ed-Darb, a rock-cut tomb in
Qarawat Bani Hassan,
Samaria, which is thought to have been modeled after it. == Research history ==