Prehistory Archaeological evidence indicates that Azraq has been occupied for hundreds of thousands of years, with the oldest known remains dating to the
Lower Palaeolithic, around 500–300,000 years ago. The spring-fed oasis provided a more or less constant source of water throughout this period, and probably acted as a
refugium for humans and other animals at times when the surrounding area dried out. The oasis itself changed as the climate fluctuated: at times a permanent lake, a
marsh, or a seasonal
playa. Protein residue analysis of tools at the site suggests that the people there butchered ducks, camels, bovines (probably
aurochs),
equines and rhinoceros (probably the narrow-nosed rhinoceros). During the
Epipalaeolithic period the oasis was also an important focus of settlement.
Later history Azraq has long been an important settlement in a remote and now-arid desert area of Jordan. The strategic value of the town and its castle (
Qasr Azraq) is that it lies in the middle of the Azraq oasis, the only permanent source of fresh water in approximately of desert. The town is also located on a major desert route that would have facilitated trade within the region.
Nabatean period settlement activity has also been documented in the area.
Qasr Azraq was built by the Romans in the 3rd century AD, and was heavily modified in the Middle Ages by the
Mamluks. In the
Umayyad period a water reservoir was constructed in southern Azraq. During the
Arab Revolt in the early 20th century, Qasr Azraq was an important headquarters for
T. E. Lawrence. The
Azraq refugee camp, sheltering
refugees of the Syrian Civil War, was opened in 2014 and is located west of Azraq. The site had been previously used during the
Gulf War of 1990–91 as a transit camp for displaced Iraqis and Kuwaitis. ==Demographics==