On a low basalt ridge south-west of Azraq stand the tumbled black walls of Qasr Uweinid, a small Roman fort. It was one of two outposts guarding the Azraq oasis, and its building inscriptions are the earliest dated evidence for the Roman army there.
Where Is Qasr Uweinid?
Qasr Uweinid lies about 15 km south-west of Qasr Azraq, near the Shaumari Wildlife Reserve, on the tip of a low basalt ridge above Wadi Uweinid. There are no signs; it is reached by 4×4 along tracks across the gravel plain, and visitors should stay well away from the military airbase nearby.
Historical Context and Origin
Around AD 200 the emperor Septimius Severus strengthened the frontier of the province of Arabia. At Azraq, where the Wadi al-Sirhan route from Arabia reaches the oasis, the main fort was supported by two smaller ones: Usaykhim to the north-east and Uweinid to the south-west. Building inscriptions from Uweinid name the governor of Arabia, Lucius Marius Perpetuus (c. AD 200–203), and are the earliest dated evidence for Roman troops at the oasis. A Roman road linked the fort to Azraq.
Architectural Design
The fort is an irregular trapezoid of about 50 × 35 m, built of local basalt. Rooms were set against the inside of the outer walls around a central courtyard, and nothing rose above one storey except a tower at the south-west corner, next to a small entrance. Only parts of the curtain wall still stand.
Severan Date
Building inscriptions of about AD 200 name the governor of Arabia.
Basalt Walls
Walls of local black basalt on a low ridge above Wadi Uweinid.
Corner Tower
A tower and small entrance at the south-west corner.
Desert Views
Wide views over the gravel plain and the wadi.
Around the Fort
A small separate tower stands near the fort, probably a lookout linked to it. Circular stone enclosures on the ridge are Bedouin livestock pens of much later date. In Wadi Uweinid below, the Azraq Basin Project excavated Stone Age (Epipalaeolithic) campsites of hunter-gatherers, a reminder that people came to this water long before Rome.
Destruction, Rediscovery, and Restoration
Aurel Stein photographed the Azraq forts from the air in 1938–39. David Kennedy surveyed Uweinid from 1978 and published its inscriptions and plan, and later recorded it from the air with Derrick Riley. The fort has never been excavated or restored.
Visiting Qasr Uweinid Today
Uweinid is an unfenced ruin with no facilities, and entry is free. Allow about 30 minutes on site. See our Qasr Uweinid travel guide for directions.
Further reading: Livius — Basienis (Qasr el-Azraq) and its outposts; Athena Review — Uweinid fort.
