Azraq Wheels and Desert Complexes
Wheels of Azraq · Big Circles, Kites and Wheels
Late Neolithic to Bronze Age (~5500–2500 BCE; Wheels c.8500 BCE claimed recently)·Levantine Neolithic pastoralist·🇯🇴 Zarqa Governorate, Azraq Basin, Jordan
About
About Azraq Wheels and Desert Complexes
Scattered across the Azraq lava fields and limestone hammada, geometric Wheels 25–70 m in diameter consist of outer ring, radial spokes and central cairn, often attached to kite tails or isolated on hilltops. Over 1,000 wheels, pendants and 'jellyfish' tabulations have been mapped by Aerial Archaeology in Jordan. A 2017 Antiquity OSL date at Wadi Wisad pushed certain wheels to 8,500 BCE – potentially older than Göbekli Tepe.
Why it mattersScattered across the Azraq lava fields and limestone hammada, geometric Wheels 25–70 m in diameter consist of outer ring, radial spokes and central cairn, often attached to kite tails or isolated on h
Open questions
Mysteries & theories
Mysteries
- 01Function of perfect spoked geometry with no domestic debris
- 02Whether OSL age on underlying silt dates construction or earlier surface
Theories
- 01Astronomical-calendar or burial-mark precursor to stone-circle tradition
- 02Territorial markers for transhumant pastoralists like mustatils
Theories are interpretations, not findings. The seal above tells you how much scholarly weight the place carries.
History
How it came to be
- Built
- c.8500–4500 BCE (oldest wheels potentially PPNB)
- Period
- Late Neolithic to Bronze Age (~5500–2500 BCE; Wheels c.8500 BCE claimed recently)
- Culture
- Levantine Neolithic pastoralist
- Purpose
- Large spoked circles (Wheels), pendants and radial ceremonial alignments
- Excavation
- Excavation ongoing
c.8500–4500 BCE (oldest wheels potentially PPNB)
Initial construction
c. 1124 CE
Abandonment
On the ground
Structures & features
31.8333° N · 36.8167° E · 520 m · 2 mapped features
Wadi Wisad Wheel 1
wheel70-m spoked circle with 12 radii and mound tomb pendant
31.8350° N · 36.8200° EAzraq Big Circle Field
geoglyphCluster of 8 interlocked wheels on basalt ridge
31.8250° N · 36.8100° E