During most of the Early Roman period (63 B.C.-A.D. 135), Transjordan comprised part of the Nabataean Kingdom. To protect their borders, settlements, and caravan routes, the Nabataeans constructed a system of small forts and watchtowers, either building new structures or repairing and reoccupying many Iron Age fortifications.

Upon the Roman annexation of the Nabataean state in A.D. 106, many of these sites were simply incorporated into the newly emerging limes system. The takeover of these Nabataean fortifications probably provided the initial framework of the Limes Arabicus. In the northern portion of Transjordan, the attested absence of Nabataean pottery makes this transition more difficult to observe but the presence of Early Roman pottery from such sites as Deir El-Kahf and Qasr Al-Hallabat may indicate the possibility of earlier Nabataean forts and garrisons.

In addition, the Romans built a few new forts at the time of the annexation such as Qasr El-Kithara in the extreme south. A great amount of attention was devoted to the construction of the main north-south road, or via nova, which ran from the provincial capital of Bostra south of’ Aqaba (Aila) and was completed in A.D. 111.

During the Late Roman period (135-284), the number of fort sites gradually increased. Some of the former Nabataean forts were expanded or rebuilt and several new forts were constructed, such as the important fort of Dajanya, Al-Hallabat, and Qasr Usaykhim. It seems that no particular area was emphasized, but that the entire frontier received attention. Although the second century was a period of general peace and stability throughout the Roman Empire, the third century witnessed civil wars, foreign invasions, and considerable anarchy. In the later third century came the meteoric rise of Palmyra in Syria. Palmyrene armies reached as far as Egypt and must have severely disrupted the Roman army of Arabia as well as the armies of the other eastern provinces. After the defeat and destruction of Palmyra by Emperor Aurelian (270-275), the Romans were faced with the task of reorganization and reconstruction.

This challenge was met by Emperor Diocletian (284-324) with particular attention paid to the northwestern region. Qasr Azraq joined Qasr Uweinid and Qasr Usaykhim to form a line to control access out of the Sirhan. Several important forts in the central sector of the limes were constructed, such as Zona, Qasr Thuraia, Qasr Bshir, and Khirbet el Fityan. But especially important in this period was the construction of the two great camps at El-Lejjun, and at Udhruh, near Petra.

Throughout the 4th century, the number of occupied limes sites remained at this high level and started to decline in the Early Byzantine period (392-450). Most of the forts were abandoned by the end of the 5th century. This process of gradual evacuation of the military posts in Arabia may be partially due to the turnover of much of the area to the Ghassanids, who were local vassals of the Byzantines.