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DESERT CASTLES
Mu'awiyah bin Abi Sufyan the first caliph
of the Umayyad dynasty (661-750 A.D.)
moved the capital of the Muslim empire
from Medina north towards Damascus. From
Damascus, the Muslim empire expanded tremendously.
The Umayyads gave the world a number of
architectural legacies including the Dome
of the Rock in Jerusalem and the Great
mosque in Damascus. In the Jordanian desert
the Umayyads built pavilions, caravan
stations, secluded baths and hunting lodges,
known as Desert Castles. Filled with mosaic
pavements, fresco paintings, carved stucco
depicting people, animals, events and
patterns; the Desert Castles stand as
monuments to the spectacular and original
early Islamic art.
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QASR
AMRA |
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The
Desert Castles served as retreats for
the Umayyad rulers as refuge from city
life and to maintain a close relationship
with the tribes whose support they needed.
The buildings were also located on extensive
and elaborately irrigated farmlands, which
were often accompanied by various hydraulic
structures, and therefore, were centres
for agricultural exploitations. Some of
the structures served transient visitors
as resting places on their way to Hijaz.
The
Desert Castles Kharrana, Mushatta,
Qastal, Tuba, Hallabat,
Muwaqqar, Hammam as-Sarh
and Amra (a UNESCO World Heritage
site) can be visited in a one-day drive
from Amman along modern paved roads.
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TREASURY
THROUGH THE SIQ AT PETRA |
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PETRA
Jordan's
greatest treasure is the unique Nabataean
city of Petra. A UNESCO world heritage
site, Petra attracts visitors from all
over the globe. To enter Petra you need
to pass through a very narrow desert gorge
- the Siq. For about one kilometre you
are surrounded by a massive wall of rock
towering to a height of 80 metres above
you, this makes Petra one of the best
defended cities of all time. Seeing the
magnificent Khaznah Treasury at the end
of the Siq is truly rewarding. The Nabataeans
carved this enormous royal tomb out of
solid rock in the side of the mountain.
Exploring the rest of Petra carved in
red rock, you will know why people call
it "The Rose-Red City."
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PROPHET
AARON'S TOMB IN PETRA |
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On top of mount "Jabal Al-Nabi Harun"
near Petra is the shrine of Prophet Harun
Aaron  ,
the brother of Moses .
God responded favourably to the supplication
of Moses
to make Aaron
his minister. Moses
left Aaron
to act on his behalf when he went to interlocute
with God, near Mount Sinai, after he had
promised his people to produce them a
Torah as their constitution and legal
document. Aaron
predeceased Moses
and his shrine's topography corresponds
exactly with the traditional Islamic and
Biblical accounts of Aaron's
burial.
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