Where to Travel in JORDAN

The huge Crusader and Mamluk castle of Kerak with its awe-inspiring ring of walls and towers has been a fortress since Biblical times. The Crusaders took 20 years to fortify the site which became the seat of the Lord of Oultrejordain, one the most important fiefs of the Crusader Kingdom. After withstanding several sieges in the 1170s Kerak came under the control of Raynald de Chatillon one of the most daring and controversial of the Crusaders who frequently broke treaties made by the King of Jerusalem with the Arab princes and used the castle as a base to loot passing caravans of merchants and pilgrims bound for Mecca. South of Kerak, a short distance from Petra, Showbak Castle was commissioned by King Baldwin I of Jerusalem in 1115 A.D. and named Montreal. It was the first castle built in Oultrejordain, but the strong walls and towers you see today mainly date to the Mamluk period.