Qasr Burqu & Lake

The Romans built the small fort at Burqu to protect a seasonal lake that provided precious water in a highly arid region. They helped conserve the water (run-off from the Haurun-Druze Plateau) by building a dam in the 3rd century, thereby securing water for caravans heading between Syria and Arabia. The fort became a monastery during the Byzantine period and was later restored by the Umayyads in about AD 700.