Location: 100 km (62 miles) East of Amman Map
Constructed: 13th century by Ayyubids
Qasr Azraq or Blue Fortress is a ruined medieval stronghold located 100 km (62 miles) East of Amman in Jordan. The first military fortifications were constructed during the Roman times. It served for defense of the frontier of the Ancient Roman empire and defended nearby oasis against numerous enemies, especially the Parthians. Ayyubids undertook a massive reconstruction of Qasr Azraq in the 13th century, who used massive blocks of black basalt. Eventually it was turned over to the Ottoman Empire. During the Arab Revolt Qasr Azraq became famous in the West largely thanks to memoirs of T.E. Lawrence also known as a "Lawrence of Arabia".
History
The castle was of particular strategic importance due to its
location in the middle of the Azraq Oasis, the only permanent source
of fresh water in a desert region of approximately 12,000 km². This
led to multiple conquests by different groups.
The area was originally inhabited by Nabataeans and fell under Roman
control around AD 300 during the reign of Diocletian. The Romans
built a stone structure from local basalt, which formed the basis
for later buildings in the same place during the Byzantine Empire
and the Umayyad dynasty.
Qasr al-Azraq got its final appearance from 1237, when the
Mamelukes, also under Izz ad-Din Aibak, remodeled it and expanded it
into a castle.
The Ottomans built a garrison here in the 16th century. In the
winter of 1917, Thomas Edward Lawrence (Lawrence of Arabia)
established his headquarters here during the Arab revolt against the
Ottoman Empire. His office was in the chamber above the gatehouse.
Everglades
The marshes near the Qasr al-Azraq offer shelter to a number of
migratory birds. Numerous ducks, larks and lapwings, but also
eagles, use the wetlands on their trip to Africa. The wetlands were
once much larger - but the big cities like Amman used so much water
that the wetlands in the middle of the desert shrank more and more.
Today the government is again trying to preserve the remains of the
swampy landscape.