The Desert Castles

The desert plains to the east of Amman are dotted with a string of early Islamic hunting lodges known as the 'Desert Castles'. You will visit three of them, beginning with the atmospheric Qasr Kharana (pictured right), dating from Omayyad times . Continue to the UNESCO World Heritage site of Qasr Amra, whose walls and ceilings are covered with lively frescoes (pictured below), and finally Qasr Azraq, whose origins go back to Roman times but whose fame results from its use as a base for T.E.Lawrence ('Lawrence of Arabia') during the Arab Revolt.