Azraq, Jordan
château
Qasr Amra (Qusayr 'Amra) is the best known of the Umayyad desert castles of eastern Jordan, about 85 km east of Amman on the road to Azraq, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1985 for the rarest wall paintings of early Islamic art. It was built between 723 and 743 as a royal hunting lodge and bathhouse for the Umayyad prince al-Walid ibn Yazid before he became caliph, a dating confirmed by an inscription found during conservation in 2012. The complex once spread over some 25 hectares with a 40 m well, a water-lifting wheel and a dam; what survives is a small limestone building with a reception hall and a three-room bath in the Roman-Byzantine manner with Sasanian touches. The surprise is inside: walls and vaults covered from floor to ceiling with coloured paintings of hunting, daily life, craftsmen, musicians and animals, the famous "Six Kings" panel showing the rulers of the states neighbouring the caliphate, and the dome of the bath painted with a map of the sky and its constellations, the earliest known image of the heavens on a hemispherical surface. The west aisle carries scenes from the story of the Prophet Yunus (Jonah), among the oldest known in Islamic art. A joint conservation project by the World Monuments Fund, the Italian conservation institute and Jordan's Department of Antiquities has, since 2010, revived the colours by removing old protective coatings that had dulled them, and a visitor centre stands beside the castle.
Qasr Amra is a fixed stop on the Desert Castles loop from Amman with Qasr Kharana, Qasr al-Azraq and the Azraq Wetland Reserve, usually done with a hired car and driver for the day since buses do not reach it. Allow half an hour to an hour; the light inside the hall is kept low to protect the paintings and flash is not allowed, so give your eyes a moment to adjust. The combined Desert Castles ticket (3 JOD) also covers Kharana and Azraq and is included in the Jordan Pass according to travel guides, and the official hours are on the government ticketing portal. The road is open desert, so carry water; modest dress is appropriate.
Hours and prices change — check before you go. Source: en.wikipedia.org
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