From the Eastern Desert. During the Umayyad Dynasty, a number of buildings sprung up across the barren desert landscape of the Middle East. Today, we visited 2 of these Umayyad desert castles.

Our first stop was Qasr Kharaneh, which seemed to magically appear in the desert -- there was absolutely nothing else in sight! Kharaneh has 61 rooms, 2 stories, and a distinctive flat roof. We were able to climb up to the top. From up there, we had a seemingly endless view in each direction.

Our next stop was Qusayr Amra, a much smaller structure than Kharaneh. In fact, Qusayr means ‘little palace’ in Arabic. Amra is best known for its many frescoes. These painting depict hunters, dancers, and musicians, as well as local flora and fauna. My favorite fresco was of a carpenter sawing a plank of wood in half.

Also known for its water system, Amra’s main function was as a hammam, which is similar to a spa or steam bath. Amra offered weary travellers and Ottoman royalty a chance to rest, relax, and socialize.

Our third and final stop was at Azraq Fort, which was built under Roman rule. Built entirely from local basalt stones, the fort was occupied beginning in 300 BCE. It was used as late as 1917 CE, during the Great Arab Revolt against the Ottoman Empire.

In my opinion, the coolest parts of the fort are its doors. Each one was hinged and weighed about half a ton. I had to use all of my strength to open and close them. Amazing!

One Final Note: Travelling along the desert highway toward the castles, we passed several signs reminding us of how close we were to the Iraqi and Saudi borders. Perhaps being in such close proximity to so many news-making borders is what keeps tourists from visiting the desert castles. We saw very few tourists on today’s adventure.

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