QASR AL TUBA

It is difficult to reach this castle, the most isolated of the desert qasr. It is located on the border between the governorates of Amman and Ma'an, 85 kilometers south of Azraq. Built in 743 by Caliph Walid II for his sons, it is the southernmost Umayyad castle. Despite its impressive dimensions, the work is unfinished. As with the Qasr Mushatta, the assassination of Walid II aborted the completion of the construction work. Originally, the project included two monumental wings with semi-circular towers projected on the facades. Only the west wing seems to have been completed. The castle may have served as a hunting lodge for the sons of Walid II and certainly as a caravanserai for Bedouins transiting from Saudi Arabia to western Iraq or Syria. Like all desert castles, Qasr al-Tuba is located near a water source. A dry wadi lies nearby, and a dam and wells have been discovered at the site.

The western wing of 140 meters by 72 meters is divided into two squares connected by a narrow corridor, which could be closed in case of need. Access to each of the living areas was through a majestic door. One of these was found and is now on display at the Citadel Archaeological Museum in Amman. The building has a vaulted roof. The whole structure is covered with clay bricks, which provided good protection from the sun and heat, but which are not found on any other qasr.