Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
( 3835012; r from JD10)
This utterly no-frills, family-run budget option has seen better
days but in the absence of other accommodation it at least provides a convenient place to
kip for a night. It's located behind the Refa'i Restaurant, just off the main road, within
easy strolling distance of shwarma and grilled chicken restaurants, groceries selling basic
foodstuffs and toyshops selling plastic rubber rings - don't ask!
Azraq Palace Restaurant$
( 079 5030356; buffet with/without salad JD10/7, plates JD2-5; 11am-4pm &
6-11pm)
Apart from Azraq Lodge, this is the best place to eat in town, which is why it at-
tracts tour groups on desert-castle excursions. The standard Jordanian fare of rice, grills,
salads and dips is tasty and filling and the management helpful.
JORDANIAN BUFFET
Getting There & Away
Minibuses run up and down the road along northern and southern Azraq in search of pas-
sengers before joining the highway to Zarqa (JD1.200, 1½ hours). If you are driving, you
have the choice here of joining Hwy 5, which leads south after at least three or four hours
of utter desolation to southern Jordan. The drive to Amman along either Hwy 30 or Hwy
40 takes around two hours. Make sure you obey the rules of desert driving and fill up with
petrol when you see a station, as pumps are few and far between.
Qasr al-Azraq
It was to be Ali's first view of Azraq, and we hurried up the stony ridge in high excite-
ment, talking of the wars and songs and passions of the early shepherd kings, with names
like music, who had loved this place; and of the Roman legionaries who languished here
as garrison in yet earlier times.
TE Lawrence, Seven Pillars of Wisdom
On the edge of the dusty town of Azraq, this imposing
fort
(admission JD1, ticket also
valid for Qusayr Amra & Qasr Kharana; 8am-6pm, to 4pm Oct-Mar)
is where TE
Lawrence and Sharif Hussein bin Ali based themselves in the winter of 1917-18 during
the Arab Revolt against the Turks. Lawrence set up his quarters in the room above the
southern entrance, while his loyal followers braved the elements. They were holed up here
for several months in crowded conditions with little shelter from the intense cold - gaping
holes in the roof were patched up with palm branches and clay.
