Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Information
Tickets to the site can be bought from the
visitor centre
(admission JD1, ticket also valid
for Qsar al-Azraq & Qasr Kharana; 8am-6pm May-Sep, to 4pm Oct-Apr)
. Be sure to
take a look at the relief map of the site, descriptions of the site's history and the plan of
the frescoes which will help in identifying some of the key highlights (such as the Dome
of Heaven) that are quite hard to discern without an idea of what to expect. Public toilets
are available in the visitor centre, and a Bedouin tent erected by enterprising locals sells
mint tea, minimal refreshments and a few souvenirs.
Photography of the interior of Qusayr Amra doesn't appear to be regulated (perhaps be-
cause of the downturn in tourism at the time of writing there was no guard present either),
but bear in mind that flash photography, and indeed touching the walls, will harm the fres-
coes.
Getting There & Away
Qusayr Amra is on the north side of Hwy 40, 26km from Azraq. It is only signposted
coming from Amman, so keep an eye out if you are approaching in the other direction as
the small, dune-coloured buildings are easy to miss. No minibuses travel this route and
buses will not stop at Amra making it impossible to visit by public transport. Without a
car, the only option is to hire a taxi from Azraq (from JD15 return if you can persuade one
to take you!).
Qasr Kharana
Located in the middle of a vast, treeless plain, this imposing thick-walled structure was
the most likely inspiration for the 'desert castle' moniker. There is no evidence, however,
that the intimidating two-storey building, with what appear to be round, defensive towers
and narrow arrow slits, was ever intended as a fort. In fact, the towers are completely sol-
id, which means that they couldn't be manned by armed soldiers and it would be impos-
sible to fire bows from the bizarrely shaped 'arrow slits,' meaning that they most likely
served as air and light ducts.
Although it clearly isn't a castle, Kharana was a vital building for the Umayyads as
evidenced by its dramatic size and shape. Despite the fact that it has the appearance of a
khan (caravanserai), Kharana wasn't located on any major trade route, and there appears
