sustain larger populations that may have lived in the area at different times. The site's most significant surviving structure is a 5-metre tower, probably of Roman origin, and originally estimated to have been 13 metres in height. The early Islamic palace complex was constructed around the Roman tower. The enclosures are constructed of basalt, and were used to pen animals by nomadic peoples attracted to the location to water their herds. Rock-carved inscriptions show that Bedouin tribes used the site as a seasonal encampment each spring throughout the Medieval period. Conservation and tourism The Burqu Nature Reserve, a 900 km2 protected area centred on Burqu', was established by the Royal Society for the Conservation of Nature (RSCN) in 2020. The RSCN hopes to encourage ecotourism in the area, opening an eco hotel near Qasr Burqu' and promoting it together with Azraq Wetland Reserve and Shaumari Wildlife Reserve as part of the "Eastern Badia Trail". Previously, the site was not well-known and difficult to access, being located nearly 20 km from the nearest paved road. See also Harrat al-Sham (Black Desert), the volcanic landscape and region it is part of Islamic art Islamic architecture Jordanian art Umayyad architecture References External links Photos of Qasr Burqu',The American Center of Research Photos of Qasr Burqu' at the Manar al-Athar photo archive Archaeological sites in Jordan Castles in Jordan 8th-century establishments in the Umayyad Caliphate Epipalaeolithic