Middle East - Anthony Ham [305]
Shaumari Wildlife Reserve
This reserve (Mahmiyyat ash-Shaumari; www.rscn.org.jo; 8am-4pm), 10km south of Azraq, was established in 1975 to reintroduce endemic wildlife, particularly the endangered Arabian oryx (a white antelope with long, straight horns). Despite intense funding hurdles, the continuous threat of poaching and natural predators, oryx, Persian onagers (wild ass), goitered gazelle and ostrich have flourished here, a testament to RSCN efforts. At the time of research, the reserve was undergoing extensive redevelopment and was temporarily closed to visitors.
SLEEPING & EATING
Zoubi Hotel ( 3835012; r JD10) Located behind the Refa’i Restaurant in South Azraq, about 800m south of the T-junction, the rooms at this modest family-run hotel are comfortable, with clean bathrooms and charming old-fashioned furniture.
Azraq Resthouse ( 3834006; s/d/tr from JD30/35/50; ) Comprising spacious chalets equipped with satellite TV, the highlight of this comfortable resort is the swimming pool – just don’t ask where the water comes from! The turn-off is about 2km north of the T-junction.
Azraq Palace Restaurant ( 079 5030356; buffet JD8, plates JD2-5; noon-4pm & 6-11pm) This is probably the best place to eat in town and the place most groups stop for lunch. For a light lunch, choose the salad-only buffet.
Azraq Lodge ( 3835017; s/d from JD 48/60, meals JD5-10; ) Sensitively renovated by the RSCN, this former 1940s British military hospital is run by a delightful family of Chechen descent, who serve their outstanding traditional cuisine in the onsite restaurant. There is a handicraft workshop ( 3835017; 9am-5pm) on site where local women craft (and sell) painted ostrich eggs and traditional textiles.
A string of truck-stop restaurants lines the 1km stretch of road south of the main T-junction.
GETTING THERE & AWAY
Minibuses run up and down the road along northern and southern Azraq in search of passengers before hitting the highway to Zarqa (less than 1JD, 1½ hours). If you’re driving, Azraq is a long and straight drive along Route 30 from Zarqa.
Qusayr Amra
One of the best-preserved desert buildings of the Umayyads, the Unesco World Heritage site of Qusayr Amra (admission JD1, ticket also valid for Qsar Azraq & Qasr Kharana; 8am-6pm May-Sep, to 4pm Oct-Apr) is the highlight of any trip into the Eastern Desert. Part of a much greater complex that served as a caravanserai, bath house and hunting lodge, the qusayr or ‘little castle’ is famous for its hedonistic (and somewhat risqué!) 8th-century frescoes of wine, women and wild good times. That said, the information boards in the visitor centre at Qusayr Amra delightfully assure the visitor that ‘none of the paintings of Qusayr Amra portray scenes of unbridled loose-living or carryings-on’.
Qusayr Amra is on the main road, 26km from Azraq, southwest of the junctions of Hwys 30 and 40. From Azraq, take a minibus towards Zarqa as far as the junction, then you’ll have to hitch as buses won’t stop on the main road. Alternatively, charter a taxi from Azraq on a combined visit with Qasr al-Kharana, which is along the same road, nearer to Amman.
Qasr al-Kharana
Located in the middle of a vast treeless plain, this mighty fortress (admission JD1, ticket also valid for Qusayr Amra & Qasr Azraq; 8am-6pm May-Sep, to 4pm Oct-Apr) was most likely the inspiration for the somewhat incorrect ‘desert castles’ moniker. The intimidating two-storey structure is marked by round, defensive towers and narrow windows that appear to be arrow slits. If you take a closer look, however, you’ll soon realize that the towers are completely solid, which means that they couldn’t be manned by armed soldiers. Furthermore, it would be impossible to fire bows from the bizarrely shaped