Salkhad
A volcanic cone crowned by an Ayyubid castle at the Hauran's southern edge.
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Salkhad rises where the Jebel al-Arab gives out into open desert: a town wrapped around a volcanic cone with an Ayyubid castle on the crater rim, built in the 1210s to watch the pilgrim road south. The black basalt town below keeps ancient fragments in its walls - it appears in the Bible as Salecah - and a famous Mamluk-era minaret. From the castle the view runs over the whole Hauran one way and into the emptiness of the desert the other.
What you actually see
- The crater castle - Ayyubid walls on the volcanic rim.
- The panorama - the Hauran plain and the open desert beyond.
- The minaret - the old tower standing in the town.
- The basalt town - ancient stones reused through the lanes.
When to go
March to May and September to November are mild; the height takes the edge off summer. Spring is green on the volcano. Winters can be sharply cold.
Honest expectations
The castle interior is ruinous and entry arrangements vary. Facilities are basic. This is the end of the road - plan fuel and daylight accordingly.
Nearby
Suwayda is north, and Bosra is west.
What to pack for Salkhad
Chosen from what this place is for. Tap a kit for the full checklist.
Opening times, ticket prices and seasonal closures change - check the official source before you go: official site.
