AL-AZRAQ CASTLE
JORDAN
Located in the eastern Desert of Jordan is a historically significant castle, the locals call it Qasr Al Azraq which translates to Al Azraq Castle. It has a long and varied history steeped in tradition, cultural lore, and wartime strategic importance.
Roughly 100 Km from Amman the fortress was built in its location due to its strategic location next to the Oasis of the Al Azraq Wetlands, a once prosperous spring of water which held in and of itself an insurmountable ecological biosphere.
Structured indeed very much like a fortress, the 80 meter long walls create somewhat of a courtyard within which the center is vast and open. The rock is made of locally found igneous rock formations called basalt. These huge stones serve to fortify the structure and seemingly withstand the test of time.
The varied history begins with the hidden jewel of the desert, the Azraq Wetlands Oasis. This is still one of the only forms of freshwater in a 12,000 km2 or 4,500 square miles. In 200 BCE the Nabateans had been inhabiting the lands making the most of it, then the Romans came in and, while using the natural resources, built the fortress. The castle became home to not only the Romans but also the Byzantine and the Umayyad Empire. Each reign of power bringing upon it new structural changes and additions.
Most famously the fort was used by T.E Lawrence, more commonly known as Lawrence of Arabia. Mentioned briefly in his book, The Pillars of Wisdom; he speaks of his time of making this fortress his desert headquarters in 1917 during the great Arab revolt against the Ottoman Empire. Today Al Azraq Castle is a local tourism site, with a 2 JD entry, one can enter and explore most of the fortress and witness the undying architecture. Some of the rooms are also available to explore, some have walls that contain posters that hold the history of the castle.
