Umm al-Walid

On the edge of the eastern desert in central Jordan is the rarely visited site of Umm al-Walid. Although much of the ancient site still lies in ruin awaiting excavation and perhaps restoration, a Umayyad Qasr and Mosque have been excavated and preserved. Take a stroll across the qasr's well-paved courtyard and spend the night in one of its residential rooms or barracks. Although labelled a "qasr" - that is, a fortress - this qasr probably functioned as a khan.

A second qasr has also been excavated, but has not seen any preservations activities and is thus more difficult to discern. It is worth the visit, nevertheless.