Syrian Desert

In the stony desert of eastern Jordan stands Qasr Burqu, one of the fortified buildings that mark the margins of the Syrian steppe. An Arabic inscription dated to 700 records building work there for the Umayyad prince al-Walid, later caliph. The castle stands beside a basin that collects rainwater. Rock inscriptions show that Bedouin tribes used the site as a spring encampment during the medieval period.