From the Eastern Desert. Today, we visited 2 of Jordan’s desert castles and a Roman Era fort.

During the Umayyad Dynasty, a number of buildings sprung up across the barren desert landscape of the Middle East. Known as the ‘Desert Castles,’ due to their size, these buildings were forts, caravan stations, bath houses, and hunting lodges. .

Qasr Kharaneh, our first stop, is two-story building that seems to magically appear from the desert sand. There is literally nothing else in site. Kharaneh’s most distinctive feature is its flat roof. We climbed the stairs to the roof which provided us with a seemingly endless view of the vast desert landscape.

As we drove along the desert highway toward our next destination, we saw road signs that reminded us of how close we were to the Iraqi and Saudi borders. Perhaps the close proximity to so many news-making countries is what keeps many tourists from visiting the eastern desert of Jordan. (It was astounding how few people we saw on today’s adventures.)

Our next stop was Qusayr Amra. Qusayr means ‘little palace’ in Arabic and Amra is considerably smaller than Kharaneh. Known for its extensive frescoes and water system, Amra functioned mainly as a hammam, which is similar to a bath house. With steam baths, massage, and healing practices, Amra offered weary travellers a chance to rest, relax, and socialize.

Our final stop was at Azraq Fort. Unlike the first 2 Umayyad castles, Azraq was built in the 3rd century CE by the Romans. The fort has been controlled by various groups throughout history, ending with Lawrence of Arabia (T.E. Lawerence) in 1917. Constructed using local basalt stones, Azraq has a deep smokey color. The main entrance is through an enormous hinged door that weighs over a ton! I laughed really hard as Adam tried his best to open and shut it.

Glad we decided to make eastward journey,

From the desert to the hilltops -- visit the Royal Botanic Garden.

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