Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
road is to return to Hwy 10 and turn north at Salibayyah. After around 5km, veer right at
the intersection with the road from Umm al-Jimal. There are intermittent signposts to Deir
al-Kahf or just follow your nose east for a further 25km, running parallel to the Syrian
border. The fort is behind a modern police station. An access road leads for 10km south of
the ruins to Al-Bishriyya on the Eastern Desert Highway.
The change in scenery is quite dramatic from here as the last of the irrigated farms are
left behind on the rolling high ground, replaced by occasional Bedouin tents and herds of
livestock. By the time you reach Hwy 10, the dust devils take over the plains and the land
extends as far as the eye can see in an uninterrupted flat disc of nothingness.
Safawi
05 / POP 8000 / ELEV 700M
A welcome sight along the Eastern Desert Highway is the small town of Safawi. In itself,
the ramshackle collection of mechanic shops is unprepossessing to say the least but it does
offer the chance to fill up with petrol, buy water and a snack and decide on whether you
have enough energy to mount the assault on Qasr Burqu. Ar-Ruwayshid, the junction for
Burqu, lies at least another hour and half to the east (a round trip of four and a half hours
if you factor in the off-road visit to the lake).
Qasr Aseikhin
This small Roman fort, built from basalt in the 3rd century over the ruins of a 1st-century
Nabataean building, is an hour's detour from Safawi. The small structure is worth a visit
for the fantastic, commanding view of the plains, framed by a basaltic Roman arch. The
vista gives you an idea of the struggle for survival endured by the Bedouin of the Badia -
the local name for the Eastern Desert that stretches into Saudi Arabia; even camels are re-
luctant to pick their way across this rocky, basaltic plain.
The recently-sealed access road to the ruins lies about 10km southwest of Safawi along
Hwy 5. For some reason the 10km access road stops about 1km short of the hilltop fort.
The graded track thereafter is just about navigable in a 2WD vehicle but the walk is more
rewarding if you want to get a sense of the utter remoteness of this former military out-
post. From the junction with the main road, it is just 22km to Azraq.
