Kerak Castle

Kerak Castle is a large medieval castle located in al-Karak, Jordan. It is one of the largest castles in the Levant. The construction began in the 1140s, under Christian crusaders Pagan 'the Butler (lord of Oultrejordain) and Fulk, King of Jerusalem. Kerak Castle became the centre of Pagans power, replacing the weaker castle of Montreal to the south. Because of its position east of the Dead Sea, Kerak Castle was able to control bedouin herders as well as the trade routes from Damascus to Egypt and Mecca.

His successors, his nephew Maurice and Philip of Milly, added towers and protected the north and south sides with two deep rock-cut ditches (the southern ditch also serving as a cistern). The most notable Crusader architectural feature surviving is the north wall, into which are built immense arched halls on two levels. These were used for living quarters and stables, but also served as a fighting gallery overlooking the castle approach and for shelter against missiles from siege engines.

The castle was besieged by Saladin in 1183 and 1184 without success. The last siege of the 12th century was led by Sa’d Al-Din, Saladin's nephew, in 1188.  The year before Saladin had defeated an outnumbered crusader army at the Battle of Hattin and therefore the crusaders could not gather enough troops to reinforce Kerak. The Muslim army cut off supplies to the castle, and Kerak surrendered several months after.

Under the Ayyubid Dynasty, Kerak served as the administration centre for all of the regions of Jordan. Under An-Nasir Dawud, much of the defenses of Kerak were expanded and improved in 1244-45. In 1227, the Sultan of Damascus al-Mu'azzam 'Isa, commissioned the construction of a tunnel that ran from the castle into the town. By 1263, Kerak was under the rule of the Mamluk Sultan Baybars. In 1263, the Mamluk sultan Baibars enlarged and built a tower on the northwest corner.

During the Ottoman Empire, it played an important role due to its strategic location on the crossroads between the Arabian Peninsula, Egypt and Greater Syria.

Architecture

Kerak Castle is an example of one of the first castles built by the Franks that used a fortified tower structure and is a notable example of Crusader architecture, a mixture of west European, Byzantine, and Arab designs.

Kerak Castle is a prime example of a spur castle, a castle built on top of a mountain to take advantage of the natural topography, as it is built on the southern end of a plateau surrounded on three sides by steep hills. This had the advantage during a siege of concentrating an attack on only one side of the castle, so the defenders could locate most of their manpower there.

References:

• Wikipedia

Address

Al-Karak Highway 5،, Al-Karak, Jordan

Details

Founded: 1140s
Category: Castles and fortifications in Jordan