Salkhad

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 between 1214 and 1247 to watch over the Hauran. The black basalt town below keeps ancient fragments in its walls - it appears in the Bible as Salecah - and a hexagonal basalt minaret standing intact on the main square. From the castle the view runs over the whole Hauran one way and into the emptiness of the desert the other.

What you'll find

• 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.

Before you go

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.

Key facts