Qasr Tuba: The Brick Palace in the Desert in Photos

By Alex
Updated October 23, 2026

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Far out in Jordan’s south-eastern desert, Qasr Tuba is an Umayyad palace of fired brick on limestone footings, attributed to Caliph al-Walid II and abandoned unfinished in AD 744. This album shows its brick walls and gate, the courtyard of the western half, the rooms with their brick vaults, the walls that were never completed and the empty landscape of Wadi al-Ghadaf around it.

In this album

32 photos of Qasr Tuba

Tap a photo to open it full size

A brick-vaulted block of the palace on its stone footing, Qasr Tuba, Jordan — 01The Brick Palace

A brick wall with an arched doorway, Qasr Tuba, Jordan — 02Wall and Doorway

The palace seen across the desert, Qasr Tuba, Jordan — 03From a Distance

The north wall with a doorway, Qasr Tuba, Jordan — 04The North Wall

Arched doorways in the long brick wall, Qasr Tuba, Jordan — 05Doorways in the Wall

An arched doorway in the brick wall, Qasr Tuba, Jordan — 06The Doorway

Brick walls on limestone footings around the courtyard, Qasr Tuba, Jordan — 07Brick on Stone

Low ruined walls of the western half, Qasr Tuba, Jordan — 08Low Ruins

Low walls inside the palace, Qasr Tuba, Jordan — 09Inside the Walls

A long brick wall with stone courses at its base, Qasr Tuba, Jordan — 10A Long Brick Wall

Brick walls with doorways around the courtyard, Qasr Tuba, Jordan — 11Walls and Doorways

A row of doorways in a brick wall, Qasr Tuba, Jordan — 12Rows of Doorways

A brick-vaulted block seen from the courtyard, Qasr Tuba, Jordan — 13A Vaulted Block

Arched openings in the brick walls, Qasr Tuba, Jordan — 14Arched Openings

A brick vault open to the sky through its broken crown, Qasr Tuba, Jordan — 15The Broken Vault

An open room enclosed by brick walls, Qasr Tuba, Jordan — 16An Open Room

Brick wall fragments in a room, Qasr Tuba, Jordan — 17Wall Fragments

An arched doorway in a high brick wall, Qasr Tuba, Jordan — 18An Arched Doorway

A doorway with a stone frame in a brick wall, Qasr Tuba, Jordan — 19Stone Door Frame

A room with an arched doorway, Qasr Tuba, Jordan — 20A Room with a Door

Freestanding brick wall fragments where building stopped, Qasr Tuba, Jordan — 21Walls That Stopped

A brick pier standing alone on the desert floor, Qasr Tuba, Jordan — 22A Brick Pier

Fallen brickwork on the stone foundations, Qasr Tuba, Jordan — 23Fallen Brickwork

Brick wall fragments in front of a vaulted block, Qasr Tuba, Jordan — 24Brick Fragments

Wall fragments beside a brick vault, Qasr Tuba, Jordan — 25Fragments and Vault

A tall fragment of brick wall, Qasr Tuba, Jordan — 26A Standing Fragment

Stone foundations with nothing built on top, Qasr Tuba, Jordan — 27Stone Foundations

The palace small on the horizon under storm clouds, Qasr Tuba, Jordan — 28Under Storm Clouds

The flat desert around the palace under grey clouds, Qasr Tuba, Jordan — 29The Open Desert

The palace far away across the desert, Qasr Tuba, Jordan — 30A Distant Palace

The palace in the open landscape of Wadi al-Ghadaf, Qasr Tuba, Jordan — 31Wadi al-Ghadaf

White clouds over the palace on the horizon, Qasr Tuba, Jordan — 32Clouds over Tuba

About this album

Site

Qasr Tuba, Eastern Desert

Region

Eastern Desert

Period

Theme

Coordinates

31.3258° N, 36.5712° E

Photos

32 photos

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Qasr Tuba, an unfinished Umayyad brick palace in Jordan’s south-eastern desert

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