Karak, Jordan
Kerak Castle is one of the largest castles in the Levant and the best-known stop on the King's Highway, set on a hilltop about 900 m above sea level in the town of Karak some 140 km south of Amman, with the Dead Sea visible on clear days. The Crusaders began it in 1142 as the seat of their lordship of Oultrejordain, to control the trade routes between Damascus, Egypt and the Hijaz. Under its lord Raynald of Châtillon, who raided pilgrim and merchant caravans, Salah ad-Din besieged it in 1183 while a wedding was being celebrated inside; the chronicles say he ordered that the bridal chamber be spared by his siege engines, and he returned to besiege it again in 1184. After his victory at Hattin the castle surrendered in 1188 after months of siege, when the defenders ran out of weapons rather than food, and passed to the Ayyubids. Karak flourished under the Ayyubids and Mamluks as a major administrative centre housing four ministries: the army, finance, Karak itself and the chancery. Mamluk towers and halls were added and are the finest parts to see today, along with the restored vaults and long underground passages. Since 2019 the Karak Archaeological Museum has occupied an Ottoman building beside the castle, displaying finds from the Moabite period of the first millennium BC through Nabataean, Roman, Byzantine, Islamic and Crusader times.
Allow an hour to an hour and a half for the castle and bring a small torch for the dark, recently restored passages and vaults; watch children on the uneven stairs and high edges. The western view towards the Dead Sea is best lit in the afternoon. Buses from Amman's South Station take about two hours (2.25 JOD) to a station below the hill, and a 2 JOD taxi ride brings you up to the castle. Entry is covered by the Jordan Pass. The old town has simple restaurants serving Jordanian mansaf, there is a mosque beside the castle rest house, and modest dress is appropriate in Karak.
Hours and prices change — check before you go. Source: en.wikipedia.org
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