Kerak Castle

Kerak Castle stands on a long, steep-sided hilltop in the town of Al-Karak, commanding the ancient King's Highway that runs down the spine of Jordan, and it is one of the largest and most impressive Crusader castles in the Middle East. Built in the twelfth century as a stronghold of the Crusader kingdom, and later held and extended by the Muslim armies that took it, it is a formidable pile of dark stone with towers, glacis walls falling away to the valleys, and a bewildering interior of long vaulted halls, storerooms, kitchens, chapels and dark passages that burrow through the rock, so that exploring it feels like delving into a stone labyrinth. From its ramparts the view stretches over the plateau and, on a clear day, towards the Dead Sea rift. It is a highlight of the King's Highway route between Amman and Petra, telling the story of the region's Crusader and Islamic past.

History

Pagan the Butler, Lord of Oultrejordain, made Kerak the centre of his power, and from its position east of the Dead Sea it controlled the trade routes from Damascus to Egypt and Mecca; his successors added towers. In 1176 Raynald of Châtillon gained the castle by marriage, and Saladin besieged it in 1183 and again in 1184 (Wikipedia, Kerak Castle).

Highlights

• The vaulted halls and passages - the labyrinth of stone chambers and tunnels within.
• The ramparts - the walls and towers with views over the plateau and rift.
• The glacis and defences - the steep stone slopes that made the castle so strong.
• The castle museum - the displays on the site's Crusader and Islamic history.

When to go

Spring and autumn are the most comfortable; summer is hot on the exposed hilltop and winter can be cold and wet at this altitude. It is a natural stop on the King's Highway between Amman and Petra, so many combine it with that scenic route. Bring a torch for the dark interior passages.

Things to know

The interior is a maze of dark, uneven chambers and passages, so a torch and careful footing help, and it is not all easy to navigate or fully signed. It sits above a busy working town rather than open countryside. Taken on its own it is a couple of hours, so it works best as part of the King's Highway drive rather than a destination in itself. The exposed ramparts are hot in summer and windy in winter.

Nearby

The mosaics of Madaba and Mount Nebo are to the north; the Dana reserve and Petra lie to the south.

Key facts