From the nomadic steppes of Kazakhstan to the frenetic streets of Hanoi, Asia is a continent so full of intrigue, adventure, solace, and spirituality that it has fixated and confounded travelers for centuries.
We arrived in stormy and windy weather at the Umm Al-Jimal near the Jordanian–Syrian border. An extensive rural settlement in the lava lands east of Mafraq. The incredible ruins are located on the edge of a series of volcanic basalt flows that slope down from Jebel Druze, providing high...
We overnight close to the “Monastery of Caves,” a purpose-built Roman fort in the 4th century. The fort primarily served as a sentry post. Like its famous neighbor Umm Al Jimal, Dayr Al Kahf is also constructed of black basalt, though the scattered ruins here are not nearly as...
A tiny sealed road leads to the tree under which the Prophet Muhammad is said to have rested when traveling between Damascus and Mecca. Despite the surrounding desert, a semi-permanent water pool persists here in a depression surrounded by black lava stones. Its unmissable feature is the...
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...