Desert Castles

Jordan is a beautiful country to visit. There really are so many of the best places that are dotted all across the country from Umm Qais to Aqaba.

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Desert Castles

Beautiful examples of both early Islamic art and architecture, stand testament to a fascinating era in the country's rich history.

East from Amman, easily reachable on a roundtour of about 260 km, are a series of desert retreats, built by Umayyad princes in the 8th century, among them astounding palaces, bathhouses and hunting lodges.

Known collectively as the desert castles or desert palaces, they were originally part of a chain stretching from north of Damascus down to Khirbet al-Mafjar, near Ariha (or Jericho). There are various theories about the purpose of the desert palaces, yet the lack of a defensive architectural design suggests that most were built as recreational retreats. Most of the desert castles can be visited over the course of a day in a loop from Amman bypassing Azraq.

List of castles: Umayyad Castles, Qasr Amra (UNESCO site), Qasr Al-Azraq, Qasr Al-Kharana, Qasr Al Hallabat, Qasr Al-Mushatta, Umm Ar- Rasas church (UNESCO site)

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Desert Castles
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