Throughout eastern Jordan and the central hills are numerous historic ruins, castles, forts, towers, baths, caravan inns and fortified palaces. Known collectively as the desert castles, they formed a chain stretching from north of Damascus in Syria to Jericho in eastern Palestine.

The castles were built by the Umayyad caliphs in the seventh and eighth centuries, to serve as hunting lodges and retreats from the new settled communities, and as observation posts on the Damascus-Mecca trade road.

Famous among theses castles are Qasr Hallabat, Qasr Azraq, Qusayr Amra, Qasr al- Harraneh, Qasr Mushatta, Qastal, Tuba, Umm Qais, Umm al-Jimal.