Easily the most impressive of the lesser-known castles, Tuba lies approximately 75km southeast of Amman and captures the sense of a staging post on long-forgotten incense routes. Tuba was erected by Caliph Walid II in about AD 743 and abandoned following his sudden assassination. Tuba is only accessible by 4WD along dirt tracks 50km south of Hwy 40, or 35km west of the Desert Highway.
The structure is unique for its sun-baked mud bricks and you can see an imposing doorway from the site at Amman’s National Archaeological Museum. The sole nesting place in Jordan of the rare Houbara bustard is at nearby Thalathwat.
