Azraq Wetland Reserve
Azraq has long been an important settlement in Jordan’s remote Eastern Desert. In fact, archaeologists say that it was one of the first sites of settlement after humans migrated out of Africa. Today, the area is home to the Bedouin, Arab Druze, and Chechens. During the Great Arab Revolt, the nearby Azraq Castle was an important headquarters for T.E. Lawrence (Lawrence of Arabia) and his Arab counterpart, Sharif Hussein bin Ali.
Unfortunately, over the past decades, the wetlands have suffered from an environmental disaster due to overuse of water from the Azraq Basin. Water levels have steadily dropped, resulting in extreme depletion and erosion of massive areas of invaluable wetland. By 1993, the oasis’ ecological value was
virtually destroyed. In 1978, The Royal Society for the Conservation of Nature (RSCN) established the Azraq Wetland Reserve to conserve this unique
oasis. In 1994, with international support, RSCN began a rescue effort to restore a significant portion of the wetland. Today, many of Azraq’s birds are returning and special boardwalks and bird hides have been constructed to enable visitors to safely observe and enjoy them.
