Qasr Burqu' is a set of ruins and an archaeological site in the badia of eastern Jordan and is the site of one of the earliest of the Umayyad desert castles. Background Under the Umayyad Caliphate, nobles and wealthy families belonging to the Umayyad dynasty erected new complexes or adapted preexisting ones for a multitude of purposes, many being suggested: to control the roads, monitor and tax the seasonal movement of people and their livestock, impress travellers and local tribes, establish nuclei for the development of new cities, develop agriculture in semi-arid areas, and enjoy desert retreats for relaxation and hunting (see Desert castles). History Ghadir Burqu () has been occupied since prehistoric times, with archaeological surveys documenting sites dating to the Epipalaeolithic, Early Neolithic, and Late Neolithic periods. The most substantial prehistoric remains are from the Late Neolithic period ( 7th–6th millennium BCE), when the lake was used by nomadic herders to pasture flocks of sheep and goat, probably in the summer months when water was scarce elsewhere. Archaeological excavations reveal that a Roman fort was established on the site and a monastery was built there during the Byzantine period. It became an Umayyad castle complex in around 700 CE when al-Walid I, who was still emir, rather than caliph, either built it, or repaired existing structures to form a new palace complex. Qasr Burqu' is one of the earliest of the Umayyad desert castles in Jordan. Location and description Although it is often described as one of the Umayyad desert castles, Svend Helms notes "it is neither a castle, nor is it in the desert" and most of the structures predate the Umayyad Caliphate. It counts as one of the lesser desert castles in Jordan. Qasr Burqu' is located in the far northeast of Jordan and is one of a number of Umayyad desert castles in the semi-arid region. It is situated in the black basalt desert, about 100 km east of ad-Diyatheh, 70 km south-east of an-Namara, and about 2 km from the Wadi Minqat, which holds water from the winter rains. It sits on the edge of an oasis formed on the edge of a basalt region in eastern Jordan. The site was important due to its natural shallow basin, which collected rain waters in ponds. Various water-catchment systems, of uncertain origin and unknown date, have been added to the site over time, in order to