Zarqa Tourism & Travel Guide

8. Touch of the exotic – The Desert Castles ( East Jordan )built by the Umayyad Dynasty are not be missed if visiting Jordan. The most famous one, Quseir Amra is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is renowned for the bath house erotic frescoes. Crusader’s too left their heavy presence and built magnificent castles at Karak and Shobak. Steeped in cruel history, exploring the underground grid of passageways of the Karak Castle (Central Jordan) is definitely one of the most thrilling things to do in Jordan. Jordan’s most historic city Salt (North West) is teeming with Roman, Byzantine, Mamluk and Ottoman history. As-Salt spreads in cluster over 3 hills and has yellow sandstone old domed buildings with arched windows and narrow winding hilly roads. It is a photographer’s paradise and the old city is definitely worth at least a day’s visit.

Shawmari is a small reserve which was created to sustain some of the most endangered and rare ME wildlife. It is a breeding center which has a large herd of once nearly extinct Arabian Oryx, ostriches, onagers and desert gazelles. It also supports a rich variety of desert vegetation and the cute in house tourist shop sells locally made souvenirs like silverware, painted ostrich eggs and reed made products. Travelers with children have a great time at the Oryx safari trips. After long hot desert days, Hammamat Ma’in or Ma’in Hot Springs provide much deserving break. It is on the way to Dead Sea and is a refreshing desert oasis.