Upon returning from Jerusalem, I grabbed some water, Susan and Willy and we set off again to find Qasr Hallabat, the last of the desert castles. It turned out to be a lot more confusing than expected. After several wrong turns in Zarqa, we finally saw that blessed brown "Here Be Tourist Sites" sign and eventually made our way to Qasr Hallabat.
Once we got there, we realized we were probably the only visitors they'd had all day. Maybe even all week. We got personally escorted around the site by the Tourist Police. And got our pictures taken. And our stuff held. And Willy was watched. And we got a cup of (herbal) tea. And offers for two more. And then, finally, we were free.
mosaics
and more mosaics
like owner, like dog...there were birds inside the well
parts of the walls were of black basalt, reused from a monastery that once stood on the site
Since it was right there, we stopped at Hammam as-Sarah, a bath house complex nearby. In all, it was a bit underwhelming. We'd heard this was the best of the desert castles so I was expecting a lot. I guess we should've started with Qasr Hallabat and been happy, without anything with which to compare.
Hammam as-Sarah - all the bathhouses just look like Tatooine to me
seashell? or inside of the dome??
1 comment:
Looks pretty neat to me, and it sounds like the service was amazing.
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