Qasr Harraneh

This castle, named for the small black stones that blanket the area, remains an enigma. Some experts believe that it was a defensive fort, while others argue that it was a caravansary for passing camel trains. Others believe it was a khan, or inn-one of the first in the Islamic world. The latest interpretation holds that it served as a retreat where Umayyad leaders discussed matters of state.

A painted dedication in a second-story room of the well-preserved castle dates its construction to 92 years after the Prophet’s flight from Mecca to Medina (711 AD). The “defensive” theory of Harraneh is supported by the four corner towers and the solid, square plan of a Roman fortress, but the lack of narrowly slit windows from which guards could fire arrows upon attackers casts doubt. The Greek inscription in the doorjambs implies that the Umayyads built upon an earlier structure.