This small Roman fort, built from basalt in the 3rd century over the ruins of a 1st-century Nabataean building, is between Azraq and Safawi. We do not know why, but the 10km access road stops about 1km from the hilltop fort. The graded track thereafter is not passable by car. Anyway, the...
We drove through dusty Azraq in cloudy and windy weather to the imposing fort where T.E. Lawrence and Sharif Hussein bin Ali based themselves in the winter of 1917–18 during the Arab Revolt against the Turks. Lawrence set up his quarters above the southern entrance while his loyal...
The guard at one of the best-preserved desert buildings of the Umayyads explained frescoes to us, which was our highlight of a trip into the Eastern Desert. The little castle is part of a much greater complex that served as a caravanserai, bathhouse, and hunting lodge. It is renowned for...
A terribly damaged road brought us to the thick-walled structure in the middle of a vast, treeless plain. Although its function and purpose are controversial, this important Umayyad structure remains an exciting sight of the main Azraq–Amman road. Although it isn’t a castle, Kharana was a...
Yesterday, we arrived late to visit Azraq Wetland Reserve, another RSCN project. They did not allow us to park there overnight, so we drove a few minutes to their lodge, where a friendly receptionist managed to get permission from the manager to stay there. The Azraq Basin comprised a...
We drove around 45 minutes from the border to Shaumari Wildlife Reserve, established in 1975 by the Royal Society for the Conservation of Nature (RSCN). This 22 sq km reserve was created to reintroduce wildlife that has disappeared from the region, most notably the highly endangered...
We were undecided about which route we had to choose for our drive from Qatar to Jordan. As usual, Google offered us the route via Riyadh and Hail, but we experienced that highway several times and did not want to drive it again (very bad tarma and high traffic). Also, we did not believe...
We spent one day off-roading around the Broog Peninsula. Qatar has little altitude, which only exaggerates the tiny limestone escarpment of Bir Zekreet, on the northwestern coast of the peninsula, near Dukhan. The wind has carved away softer sedimentary rock, exposing pillars and a giant...
Our next stop today was Qatar’s first and only Unesco World Heritage site, which appeared in the desert as if out of nowhere. The impressive structure, built in 1938, has four striking towers and stands alone in a sea of sand. Inside are cabinets of artifacts containing pearl...
We made a short stop in the city just 50 kilometers north of Doha to see its fish market. Once famous as a center for the pearling industry, Al Khor is a pleasant, sleepy town with an attractive corniche, a small dhow yard, and a little fish market. In November 2022, all 20 outlets from...