Eastern Desert (Jordan)

• 🌍 Azraq. Oasis in the desert, an illustration of how water brings life even at places like a desert  
• 🌍 Al Ruwayshid (Ruwaished).  
• 🌍 Safawi.  
• 🌍 Mafraq.  

• 🌍 Qasr Amra. Archaeological site and UNESCO world heritage site  

Badiya, the desert, is the largest part of Jordan's land area, and positioned on a 900 meter high plateau. The ground is mostly stoney, with black lava in the north eastern part with chalk and flint in the south. The valley of the Wadi Sirhan is a sand desert that begins east of Amman and continues in the direction of Saudi Arabia. Here you will also find the oasis of Qa'a al Azraq about 150km east from Amman. In the surroundings of this oasis is the most interesting part of the desert for tourists.

Very much part of Roman history, the Limes Arabicus bordered their Syrian province. On the Roman side agriculture was possible and on the desert side the nomadic people grazed their animals. The walls were built from stone and clay and secured by soldiers and castles.

With the advent of Islamic-Arabian culture around 650AD, the ruins of the Roman castles become hunting lodges for the local Umayyad people. One hundred years later the Umayyads relocated to Baghdad, the capital of Iraq today, and the cities and castles of Jordan were largely abandoned to the nomadic Bedouins who remained (they were so named after this region). Rainfall failed the following years and the lush irrigated lands became desert.