Qasr Amra

Qasr Amra is a well-preserved monument located in Jordan’s Desert Castles, which date back to the first half of the 8th century. These desert complexes served various purposes, such as caravan stations, trade centers, and outposts that helped rulers connect with local Bedouins. Qasr Amra is situated 75km East of Amman and is one of the best-preserved monuments, with lively frescoes covering its interior walls and ceilings, including hunting, dancing, bathing scenes, and personifications of history, philosophy, and poetry.

The building has three main elements: a rectangular audience hall with a throne alcove, a bath complex consisting of cold, warm, and hot rooms, and hydraulic structures that include an elevated water-tank and a deep well. The frescoes in all rooms except for the caldarium reflect the advice of contemporary Arab physicians. The paintings were meant to revive the animal, spiritual, and natural vital principles of the body.

One of the frescoes depicts six kings, including King Roderick of Spain, dating the image and possibly the building to around 710. For a long time, archaeologists believed that sitting caliph Walid I was the builder and primary user of Qasr Amra, but recent doubts have been cast. It is now believed more likely that one of two princes who later became caliph themselves, Walid II or Yazid III, are more likely candidates for that role.

The abandoned structure was rediscovered by Alois Musil in 1898, and in the late 1970s, a Spanish team restored the frescoes. The castle was made a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1985.