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Jordan’s desert castles, beautiful examples of both early Islamic art and architecture, stand testament to a fascinating era in the country’s rich history. Their fine mosaics, frescoes, stone and stucco carvings and illustrations, inspired by the best in Persian and Graeco-Roman traditions, tell countless stories of the life as it was during the 8th century. Called castles because of their imposing stature, the desert complexes actually served various purposes as caravan stations, agriculture and trade centres, resort pavilions and outposts that helped distant rulers forge ties with local Bedouins. Several of these preserved compounds, all of which are clustered to the east and south of Amman, can be visited on one – or two-day loops from the city.
The Desert Castles (Qasr Amra, Qasr Al Kharraneh, and Qasr Al Azraq):
The castles were built between the 7th and the 8th century under the Caliphs of the Umayyad who made Damascus their new capital in 661.
The majority of the castles lie on the ancient trade route towards Medina and Kufa. Jordan’s desert castles are beautiful examples of both early Islamic art and architecture. Their fine mosaic and frescoes, stone and stucco carvings inspired by the best Persian and Greco architecture – Roman traditions.
Called castles because of their imposing statue, the desert complexes actually served various purposes such as caravan stations, agriculture and trade centers, resort pavilions, and outposts that helped distant rulers forge ties with local Bedouins.
Al-Mshatta Palace is one of the desert castles built by the Umayyads. Situated nearly 32 km southeast of Amman, this palace was built by the Umayyad Caliph al-Walid bin Yazid in 744 AD, and is surrounded by a 144-meter-long square wall comprising of 25 circular towers.
Named Al-Harrana Castle as it is positioned in the Al-Harrana Valley; the square fortress was resurrected during the reign of Al-Walid ibn Abd al-Malik. The castle has been restored several times as a result of the constant invading empires. Located on the international road on the way to Azraq, visitors are encouraged to get medieval and explore inside the fortress walls.
One of the most important, distinguished archaeological sites in the Middle East, and originally a small Roman fortress built to protect the Nova Trajana route. It was occupied in 106 AD and was part of Limas Arabicus, the then Arabian Peninsula. In the fourth century, the castle was enlarged and protected by four towers, possibly during the reign of Diocletian.
Built during the reign of the Umayyad caliph Yazid bin Abd al-Malik, who is considered to be the sixth caliph of the Umayyad successors, Quseir Amra is believed to have been a location to aid in hunting. With the preservation of castle carvings and fresco paintings the Quseir Amra is sure to be a castle experience unlike the others.
This site is one of Jordan’s UNESCO world heritage sites
Built by the Romans to maintain control of a freshwater source the palace was constructed with steam irrigation channels that reaches all rooms and facilities. Qasr Burqu’ is a desert castle located in the governorate of Mafraq and is waiting to be discovered.
Qasr Hammam al-Sarah, also known as the Eastern Hallabat Palace, is located in the city of Zarqa, north of the Jordanian capital Amman. An Umayyad bathhouse, the castle was constructed by the Caliph Hisham ibn Abd al-Malik in the early eighth century AD.
Unlike the southern desert, where Wadi Rum is located, in the desert of eastern Jordan There is not a wide variety of adventure experiences available to the visitor. On the other hand, the main proposals to make in the area have to do with its nature reserves, which shows different characteristics from each other and, therefore, differentiating activities, often organized or supervised by the Royal Society for the Conservation of Nature. These are the highlights:
Birdwatching in the Azraq Wetlands Reserve: the body of water that remains here is much smaller than it was centuries or millennia ago and it is estimated that only 10% of what were marshes and ponds is preserved, especially because it was exploited exorbitantly to supply
Amman
To travel and move around eastern Jordan You only have one option: private transport. Since the region is not only a large natural desert but also a demographic one, there is no efficient public transport network or large infrastructures to serve as a gateway for travelers.
With no airport, train or regular buses, there is only the option of traveling by road. The most common is to do it from Amman, as the capital is also the nearest city. However, you can also take two other roads to get here directly from other parts of the country: the Al Badiyah Highway from the south or the Desert Highway from the Highlands.
These are the distances and times that separate Al Azraq from the rest of the country’s places of interest: