Desert castles
Photo: High Contrast, CC BY 3.0 de via Wikimedia Commons
The majority of desert castles of Jordan are in the kingdom's Eastern Desert.
UnderstandThe desert castles are a series of buildings (not all castles) built by the Umayyads in the desert, east of Amman. They provide a fascinating glimpse of how the Umayyads controlled the unforgiving desert.
Get inIt is hard to see much of them by public transport but a numer of them are close to major highways or larger roads. Some of the more known castles, like Qasr Amra, require a small entrance fee.
Get aroundThe main castles can be seen in a loop, with some near Zarqa on the main road east of Amman, some near Azraq, and some on the southern road from Azraq to near Amman airport.
SeeThere are a number of better known, spectacular castles.
Eat and drinkLarger towns like Zarqa, Hallabat and Azraq will have restaurants but you might want to take your own food and have a picnic.
SleepAlthough many desert castles once served as a place to sleep in the Umayyad period, they don't have accommodation close by nowadays, unless the castle is in the city. Qasr Burqu has a modern RSCN lodge close by, though.
Sources and licences
- Guide text adapted from the Wikivoyage article "Desert castles" by its contributors, available under CC BY-SA 4.0. Read on Wikivoyage · Contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0
- Photo: High Contrast, CC BY 3.0 de via Wikimedia Commons