The decorations found in the palace of Qasr al-Hayr al-Gharbi purposely merge Sassanid and Byzantine traditions to create a truly Islamic art form. The stone facade of the gateway was faced with carved stucco, a technique not previously found in the region. Some motifs, such as rosette friezes, medallions edged with a pearl roundel and the upper crenellated merlons, are all borrowed from the same Sassanid tradition. The very high relief figures which once stood at the top of the gateway, one of whose extended legs can still be seen, suggest a local late-antique influence, transposed to stucco.