The Jordan that Tourists Rarely See 3: Qasr Amra

Not only merchants, but rulers and imperial administrators crossed the desert while attending to affairs of state. They built very different castles from the caravanserai, sort of private hunting lodges/resort spas. The most elegant is the small Qasr (Castle) Amra, between Qasr Kharaneh and Azraq Oasis. South of the black basalt zone, it is built of white sandstone. Its builder, a Caliph (ruler) of the Umayyad Dynasty—scholars aren’t sure which, but most likely either Walid II or Yazid III—brought in top artists of the realm to adorn its walls with beautiful frescos of huge historic interest and artistic merit. Some are of political themes, including images of the six kings of the known world, presumably intended to show the Caliph’s power and influence. One of these is King Roderick the Visigoth of Spain, whose short reign dates the images, and probably the building, to around 710. Other images depict daily life, hunting and wildlife species, some of which, such as the lion, are now extinct in Arabia. Included prominently are rather un-Islamic scenes of nearly naked women drinking wine, evidence that the Caliph’s mind was not always on state business. In 1985 it was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The Jordan that Tourists Rarely See 2: Qasr Kharaneh

In ancient times, Jordan was at the cross-roads of camel caravan routes. Travellers going between Damascus and Mecca, for example, or between Baghdad and Cairo, had to cross Jordan. It was not, however, the arid landscape we see today. The Byzantine and Early Muslim eras were moister, and nourished a lusher ecosystem. It supported more sheep, goats and camels, and consequently a higher Bedouin population. Travellers could hunt game such as gazelles and oryx, but had to fear their predators including lions, cheetahs, striped hyenas, wolves, and, in the mountains, brown bears and leopards. But because of these and the danger from Bedouin raiders, merchants built caravanserai at strategic points a day’s camel-ride apart. These fortresses were large enough to house the whole caravan: all the camels and their merchandise, as well as accommodations for the merchants, residents, and perhaps a garrison of troops. There would be shops, a bazaar, and the ancient equivalent of cafes. Qasr Kharaneh (or Kharana, Hraneh) is a largely intact and restored example. Scholars think now that it may also have functioned as a sort of conference centre, as it is too richly appointed to be strictly functional. Outside, it is a massive, mud-brick rectangle baking in the sun; inside, it is a wonder of shady coolness with light playing on the central courtyard and surrounding arches and porticos of stable rooms on the lower level, and stairways between the upper and lower levels. The vaulted upper rooms are decorated with rosettes and diamonds. From Muwaqqir, about 25 km southeast of Amman, it is another 38 km east.