Azraq Oasis Wheels


Giant Wheels



Photos by David D. Boyer


The area near the Azraq Oasis in Jordan has hundreds of wheels, large structures made of stone that date back at least 2,000 years. These wheel structures are often found on lava fields and range from 82 feet to 230 feet (25 meters to 70 meters) across. Archaeologists used to believe that the Azraq Oasis wheels were used as a cemetery although that is now in doubt. (Unless otherwise noted, all the photographs in this album are taken from the air, as one can't make out the structures from flat ground.)




Stone Shapes


The Harrat ash-Sham lava field stretches from Syria
to Saudi Arabia and contains thousands of wheels.
Drawings reveal the various shapes of the structures.




Azraq Oasis


Another cluster of wheels found near the Azraq Oasis.




From Above


Close-up photo of one of the wheels from the Azraq area.

Photographed from the air it has an amorphous design.




Stone Dots


These stone structures have a wide variety of designs,
with a common one being a circle with spokes radiating inside.
This wheel in Jordan looks like it has four dots within its spokes.




The Squeeze


This circular wheel looks kind of squeezed in this aerial photo. Researchers are still puzzled over what these stone circles were used for, with some suggesting perhaps they were places of worship or used for rituals connected with astronomical events.




Big Bubbles


The wheels in this picture are very amorphous, their spokes looking like bubbles.




Stone Piles


Cairns, or piles of stones, are often found associated with the wheels,
sometimes circling the perimeter and other times in among the spokes.
Here, the wheel to the south has a ring of such cairns around it.




Radiating Spokes


The spokes of this wheel radiate from a central hub.




Closing In On Wheels


In this photo the helicopter carrying the team
descends toward the ground near two wheels.

Even from reduced elevation the wheels are still visible.




Can You See It?


In this photo the helicopter carrying the team
descends toward the ground near two wheels.

At ground level the two wheels are practically invisible
and appear as little more than a jumble of stones.






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