Eskhayim: The View

Qasr Eskhayim / Aseikhim قصر السخيم

Visited on 25/1/2013 and on 26/4/2013

On a high hilltop near the oasis of Azraq lie the ruins of the Roman frontier fort of Eskhayim, overlooking the vast flat area surrounding it with views as far as the eye can see of the steppe and the oasis. The considerable lack of water supply must have meant that the fortress was used as a monitoring station rather than a full-fledged defense fort. Excavation of the site shows that there was a Nabatean presence before the fort’s construction.

In 1913, while exploring the Syrian Desert Gertrude Bell "rediscovered" this fort.

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