PORPHYRY pôr’ fə rĭ. An igneous rock in which relatively large conspicuous crystals are set in a finer grained groundmass, the variation in crystal sizes often indicating magmatic crystalization at more than one crustal level during intrusion. Generally the rock occur in sheets or dykes, such as those that cut the Aqaba Granite Complex in the southern desert region of the Holy Lands. Porphyry was one of the materials used for the mosaic pavement in the floor of the king’s court at Susa (Esth 1:6).