Qasr Kharana: Mysterious Desert Castle in Jordan
Read our travel guide to visiting Qasr Kharana (or Qasr al-Kharanah), one of the best desert castles in Jordan located on the Desert Castle Loop. Including tips on how to get there, where to stay, and if Umayyad Qasr Kharana is worth a visit.
Qasr Kharana is one of the best desert castles in Jordan. It's also located on the famous Desert Castle Loop, which is often ranked as one of the top things to do in Jordan.
When searching for information about this interesting historical attraction, you will find it under different names.
One of the most common names is Qasr Kharana, but names such as Qasr al-Kharanah, Qasr al-Harrana, or Kharaneh show up often too.
Regardless of the castle name, Umayyad Desert Castle Loop makes for a great half-day trip, and we are glad, that we included Desert Castle Loop in our Jordan itinerary.
And even though Desert Castles are not as famous as other popular places in Jordan such as Petra, King’s Highway or Wadi Rum, they allow you to get away from the crowds.
This is our road trip story of visiting this mysterious historical site on the way from Jerash to Amman.
A TRIP TO QASR KHARANA
The road is in terrible condition, the dust storm or whatever it was has ceased, but it's raining really hard now, and we are still roughly 10 kilometers away from the castle.
In the off-season, most of the desert castles in Jordan close at 4 PM.
We left charming desert castle Qusayr Amra in hurry, and still have about 10 minutes to reach the castle before it closes its gates. It's so close, yet so far, and we are losing our hopes.
We spent too much time wandering around Jerash Ruins this morning, though who could blame us, as this Roman site is wonderful and requires a lot of time to be fully explored.
Finally, we reach the intersection leading to the Qasr Kharana visitors center. As we turn left hard, we hit several potholes that are covered in water now and almost invisible to a naked eye. The whole site looks completely deserted.
As we are making our way towards the parking lot which shows no sign of life as well, we spot a lonely figure walking along the side of the road. He is wearing a traditional red and white keffiyeh and dark blue uniform.
As we pass him, we realize that this must be probably a caretaker of the site. It takes us about five seconds to decide, that he might be willing to let us in, so we stop the car and put the car in reverse.
We are pretty sure, that the guy won't let us in, but he greets us with a big grin on his face. He is indeed a caretaker, and he is willing to open the site for us under one condition. He needs a lift to Amman.
The rule of thumb is not to take any strangers or hitchhikers when road tripping in the Middle East, but considering the circumstances, and a fact, that we drove 150 kilometers from Jerash just to see the castles, we agree.
Qasr Kharana itself is only a couple of minutes of walking from the parking lot, though we are soaking wet when we reach castle's door. At least the dust has settled, and we don't have to cover our mouths and eyes with a bandana.
We quickly read a quite informative panel hanging on the wall, before we explore the castle. One of the most surprising facts about Qasr Kharana is that it actually might not be a proper desert castle.
In fact, many scholars nowadays think, that this might be a 'khan' or inn, which would make it the earliest known inn of the Islamic Period. The building has two floors and a square shape with a 35 meters long sides.
Even though the building is well preserved, many of the walls, rooms, door frames, and windows have been restored to its original state unlike other archeological sites such as Mukawir or Umm ar-Rasas.
This castle is once again very different from the ones we have already visited.
And if you are wondering, if the Desert Castle Loop is worth the trip, we have to say yes.
There is no one else besides us, and the castle that is located in the middle of nowhere has some strange vibes.
Later on, we return to the visitors' center, where we need to wash our shoes first, as the unpaved trail turned into a muddy path, and we don't want to make a mess in the rental car.
A visit to the Qasr Kharana doesn't require too much time, and we are in less than 30 minutes back on the road.
This time with a fellow passenger on our back seats. He mentions that this is his daily bread, as Highway 40 is now almost forgotten.
Heavy rain together with uneven road surface makes driving quite hazardous, so we slow down and take driving easy from there. On one of the big intersections before Amman, we depart our ways with our hitchhiker.
It's getting dark and the traffic in Amman is heavy.
Finally, we reach our hotel, totally exhausted. It's time for some delicious hummus, baba ganoush, and beans with bread.
We need to get some energy back, because tomorrow, we want to explore Amman extensively.
Travel Insurance
We never leave home without travel insurance that was designed to cover our expenses if something goes wrong during the trip.
Travel insurance protects against theft, flight delays, injury, illness, cancellations, and much more.
World Nomads provides travel insurance for travelers to cover their trip essentials, including sports and adventure activities.
SafetyWing is affordable travel insurance for backpackers, long-term travelers, and digital nomads.
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QASR KHARANA ENTRANCE FEE
Qasr Kharana entrance fee is included in the Jordan Pass, otherwise, you have to pay 1 JD.
We purchased the Jordan Pass back home and strongly recommend you to do the same.
HOW TO GET TO QASR KHARANA
There are only two roads leading to Qasr Kharana, and the castle itself is located on Highway 40.
Firstly, you need a car to get there. We recommend you to rent a car in either Amman or directly at the Queen Alia International Airport.
We left Jerash shortly just after midday and drove the loop in a clockwise direction. From Zarqa, there is a modern desert highway (Highway 30) all the way to Al Azraq.
This is a wide road that connects north Jordan with its remote northeastern part of the country (and Saudi Arabia or Iraq).
There are at least three Desert Castles worth visiting. Al Azraq Castle, Quseir Amra, and finally Qasr Kharana.
If you decide to drive in the same direction as we did, Qasr Kharana will be your last stop on the Desert Castle Loop.
The southern road is old, poorly managed, full of potholes, and even though it's mostly straight, driving in the rain along this road was not fun.
Otherwise, driving in Jordan: was okay.
The only upside is, that you can make a loop, and don't have to return the same way you've arrived there. Qasr Kharana is located about 70 kilometers east of Amman, or 130 kilometers if you are arriving via Zarqa Highway. Plus add 30 kilometers to visit Al Azraq Castle.
Qasr Kharana parking lot is free, with plenty of parking spots.
As not everyone is fine with driving in a foreign country, there is another way to get to the Desert Castles.
Especially when the road rules in Jordan are quite 'different' from the rules we have in Europe, to put it mildly.
Consider this Half-Day Tour to Umayyad Desert Castles from Amman that will allow you to explore all must-visit Desert Castles with a private guide.
WHERE TO STAY BEFORE VISITING UMAYYAD DESERT CASTLES
There are actually very few places to stay on the Desert Castle Loop. Your only choice is to stay at Azraq, a small town in the remote part of the Jordan near the Desert Castles.
In our opinion, it's better to visit desert castles on a day trip from either Amman or cities near the capital such as Jerash or Madaba.
As we have already mentioned, we stayed at Jerash, visited these incredible ruins in the morning, and drove around the Castle Loop in the afternoon. Then arrived in Amman, where we spent the night in a lovely small hotel near the city center.
Both hotels (in Amman and Jerash) were budget friendly and really good for the price, so we've included them in the list of best hotels for Desert Castle Loop.
Check out our favorite picks for the best hotels when traveling to this part of Jordan.
Azraq | Azraq Oasis - Azraq is not exciting city, and there is not much to do except for the Azraq Castle. This private villa allows you to stay as close as possible to the desert castles. Azraq Oasis offers comfortable and clean rooms, lovely staff, an outdoor pool, a great breakfast, and a beautiful garden. Probably the best place to get away from the crowds.
Amman | Gallery Guest House - We stayed in this hotel for a couple of days, and really enjoyed clean, quiet and air-conditioned rooms, lovely breakfast, and helpful staff. This hotel is located a walking distance to Amman Citadel, super popular Hashem Restaurant, or Rainbow Street. Great value for money. Free parking on the street in front of the hotel.
Jerash | Full Panorama To Archaeological Site Jerash - Family guesthouse located in a quiet residential area with nice modern rooms, welcoming host, and great location next to Jerash Ruins. Parking is available on the street in front of the hotel.
Madaba | Mosaic City Hotel - Great location, friendly atmosphere, tasty breakfast, and helpful staff are the main features in this hotel. It is worth it to ask for a room with a balcony facing the garden.
Travel Resources
Here you can find links to all the travel resources we use and which you might find helpful when planning your next holiday.
Accommodation: When looking for accommodation, we usually search hotels via Booking.com or Hostelworld.
Tours: Although we love to travel independently, some places are better to visit with a guided tour.
We prefer GetYourGuide for its easy-to-use interface and solid reputation. Another great alternative is Viator.
Rental Cars: When going on a road trip, we always use Rentalcars.com, a reliable site for booking a rental car in advance.
Flight Tickets: When looking for flight tickets, you can search Skyscanner to find the best price.
Travel Insurance: World Nomads and SafetyWing cover against risks of travel.
