Idea #568 – Visiting the desert castle of Qasr El Kharana in Jordan
Qasr Kharana is one of the most known desert castle for the Middle East. Situated east of Jordan, in approximately sixty kilometers east of Amman, the castle is relatively close to the border with Saudi Arabia.
The castle was probably built at the beginning of the VIIIth century as shown by a registration of one of the rooms. Qasr Kharaba certainly replaced a previous Greek or Byzantine position. The castle constitutes one of the first examples of Islamic architecture in the region. The function of this building is even not really determined, nowadays. The term of “castle” seems inappropriate in view of the outer eand inner design, which is not believed to be in a purely military function.. Although the defensive function is obvious, the building would be in fact a caravanserai, which allowed the caravanners of the desert to rest and to store their precious cargoes for the time of a night. Stables in ground are totally comparable in the style and the shape to those of the other caravanserais in the world. The local garrison had to serve also probably to secure the commercial way and to make sure of the absence of looters and bandits on these vital axes.
Some Pictures
Where is it ?
Qasr El Kharana Castle, Jordan