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Azraq
Castle is one of the historic desert castles. It is located in
the village of North Azraq. Because of its strategic location
close to the borders of several countries and near a water
supply, the site has been occupied by many different
civilizations including the Umayyad, Ayyubids and Ottomans. It
was made famous during World War I, when T.E.Lawrence, better
known as Lawrence of Arabia, used the castle as his military
base during the Arab Revolt against the Turks.

The
castle is solidly constructed out of black basalt. Entrance is
through an impressive door made of a massive slab of basalt.
Carved indentations on the floor were used by former gatekeepers
to play a board game with pebbles to pass the time. The second
level includes the Lawrence’s room, directly above the southern
entrance. There is a small mosque in the middle of the
courtyard, an old well near the east wall, a prison in the
north-east corner and a variety of storerooms and stables
opposite the entrance. |
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