Kerak
Jordan · Karak · 950 m
Description
Kerak (الكرك) is built around one of the largest Crusader castles in the Levant, set on a spur above the King's Highway with the Moab plateau falling away on three sides. Construction began in 1142 under Pagan the Butler, and the castle became the seat of the lordship of Oultrejordain within the Kingdom of Jerusalem. Its most notorious holder was Raynald of Chatillon, whose raids on caravans and pilgrim routes helped provoke Saladin, who besieged the place twice before it fell in 1188. The interior is a warren of dark vaulted galleries, storerooms and a long Crusader hall, with later Mamluk additions layered on top. From the upper walls the view runs west toward the Dead Sea and east across empty tableland. The town below is workaday and largely unvisited, and the castle is the reason almost everyone stops.
Length of stay
Recommended length of stay: 1 to 2 days (optimal 1 day)
Travel season
Best time to visit: April – May or October
- Jan
- Feb
- Mar
- Apr
- May
- Jun
- Jul
- Aug
- Sep
- Oct
- Nov
- Dec
Highlights
- Kerak Castle (Qal'at al-Karak)
- Underground Vaulted Passages of the Castle
- Panoramic View over Wadi Karak and the Dead Sea
- Kerak Archaeological Museum
- Old City of Al-Karak
- Mamluk Keep
- Crusader Chapel
- Ottoman Gate
- Al-Omari Mosque
- Lot's Cave (Deir Ain Abata)(Day trip)
- Kerak Bazaar
- Lowest Point on Earth Museum(Day trip)
- King's Highway Scenic Drive
- Wadi Karak Scenic Drive to the Dead Sea
- Wadi Bin Hammad Hot Spring Canyon(Day trip)
- Roman Ruins of Ar-Rabba(Day trip)
- Bab edh-Dhra Bronze Age Site(Day trip)
- Mausoleum of Ja'far ibn Abi Talib in Al-Mazar(Day trip)
- Al-Mazar Islamic Museum(Day trip)
- Mausoleum of Abdullah ibn Rawahah(Day trip)