Azraq; in English it means blue, and is the name for a huge oasis, deep in the heart of Jordan's Eastern Desert. Until the early '80s, it attracted over a million birds. Twice yearly the waters would pull them down from the skies to provide a vital resting place on their migratory routes between Europe, Asia and Africa.
Environmental disaster
In the early '90s nearly all the surface water had disappeared, pumped out of the underground reservoirs that fed the oasis to serve the thirst of ever-growing urban populations and the increasing demands of agriculture.
Salvation
Yet today the oasis is a haven for wildlife once more, thanks to a conservation rescue effort that ensures a fixed volume of water is pumped back into it each year. Although it now only covers 12 square kilometres - 10 per cent of its former surface area - Azraq Wetland Reserve is once again an essential sanctuary for over a 150 species of migratory birds.
Facilities
Raised boardwalks take visitors on a looping tour over the waters and through the towering reeds. Off this main track there are remote adobe hides for birdwatchers that can only be access in the company of reserve guides.
Buffalo
Water buffalo have also been introduced, brought in to make tracks between the reeds so researchers can study the birds more closely. The animals also reduce the reeds at the water's edge, diversifying the habitat and making birdwatching easier for visitors.
Fauna
As well as the buffalo there are at least 18 other types of mammal, 16 reptile species, two amphibians and Jordan's only endemic vertebrate, the Azraq killifish, a critically endangered species that the Reserve is attempting to save.
Read more about national parks and birdwatching in Jordan
Environmental disaster
In the early '90s nearly all the surface water had disappeared, pumped out of the underground reservoirs that fed the oasis to serve the thirst of ever-growing urban populations and the increasing demands of agriculture.
SalvationYet today the oasis is a haven for wildlife once more, thanks to a conservation rescue effort that ensures a fixed volume of water is pumped back into it each year. Although it now only covers 12 square kilometres - 10 per cent of its former surface area - Azraq Wetland Reserve is once again an essential sanctuary for over a 150 species of migratory birds.
Facilities
Raised boardwalks take visitors on a looping tour over the waters and through the towering reeds. Off this main track there are remote adobe hides for birdwatchers that can only be access in the company of reserve guides.
Buffalo
Water buffalo have also been introduced, brought in to make tracks between the reeds so researchers can study the birds more closely. The animals also reduce the reeds at the water's edge, diversifying the habitat and making birdwatching easier for visitors.
Fauna
As well as the buffalo there are at least 18 other types of mammal, 16 reptile species, two amphibians and Jordan's only endemic vertebrate, the Azraq killifish, a critically endangered species that the Reserve is attempting to save.
Read more about national parks and birdwatching in Jordan
