Qasr Kharana

Qasr Kharana

Qasr Kharana is a castle in the desert that looks like a giant movie set. Surrounded by miles of deserted gravel plains, this spectacular fortress is located in Jordan's eastern desert. There is no evidence that the Qasr Kharana was ever used in battle, as it is not built like a normal castle. However, there is an inscription in one of the rooms of the castle that indicates that it was built in the 7th century AD. The function of the building is debated by scholars. Among the theories of the Qasr's use are that it was a crusader castle, a military fortress, an agricultural outpost, and a place for caravan travelers to rest. The present scholarly agreement is that the Umayyad caliphs and Bedouin leaders used the castle as a meeting place. Despite its large appearance, Qasr Kharana is actually not very large; it is an almost square building, 35 meters on each side, and the rooms inside are quite small. The structure has 60 rooms on two levels, organized around a middle courtyard with a rainwater pond in the center. Immediately after the entrance, there are two small rooms that are believed to have been used as stables. The rest of the rooms in the castle are arranged around a courtyard and are separated into their own individual apartments, called a bayt. Each bayt, which was common in the Umayyad period, has a large room with several smaller rooms adjoining it. There are small slits for light and ventilation in many of the rooms. Pilasters, medallions and blind niches in plaster decorate some of the rooms. There are also 8th-century graffiti, a beautiful cross-vaulted ceiling and a courtyard inside the castle.