Travel Guide Qasr Hallabat

This castle is the first one you will encounter, after leaving Zarqa behind you 30 km away. However, it is not the most interesting one and you can skip it if you are in a hurry. Originally, the place was occupied by a Roman fortress, built during the reign of Caracalla, around 200, with the sole purpose of defending itself from attacks by invaders from the desert. This fortress was replaced by a monastery in the 6th or 7th century, at the end of the Byzantine period, and finally by a palace under the Umayyads. The castle suffered greatly from the earthquake of 749, but the mosque next to it has been restored.