Qasr Askhem

The palace of Iskhem, Aschim, or Asikim, and so-called from Asilah, which is the intensity of blackness, is a fortress built by the Nabateans to monitor the route of their commercial caravans from the southern Arabian Peninsula to the Levant. The Romans inherited and used it, and it is on the top of a high hill, about 18 kilometres northeast of the town of Azraq,  overlooking the valleys where the water runs in the rainy seasons and the planting grows. It continued to be used during the Byzantine period and Muslims may have used it in the Ayyubid era as a stop for pilgrims during the usual pilgrimage route due to the Crusades. The fortress was built of black basalt stones that gave it its name, and they are widely available in that area. Its stones can be identified in the surrounding area, as well as the water well. The area of ​​the fort is 559 square kilometres and its circumference is 95 metres, with a height of up to 5 concessions.