Karak, Jordan

We took the kings highway from Madaba down through the Wadi Mujib valley (see sunset pic) to Karak.  Upon arrival in Karak we were ushered into a parking space by an enthusiastic man and two youth.  The man welcomed us with a hugd smile and proceeded to give us the low down on all the accommodation, telling us not only where the hotels were but what price we should get.  In the end we stayed in the nicest hotel in Karak (which was actually just o.k.) for just about half the price.  In the morning we headed to the Castle.

Castle Karak was the keystone of the Crusaders defence along the eastern side of the Dead Sea. It was one of several castles that made a line protecting the trade routes up to Jerusalem. The castles stretched from Turkey all the way to Aquba at the top of the Red Sea.  Although many castles were built by the Crusaders to protect these routes, Karak became one of the most famous, as it was the site of many battles between the Muslim armies and Crusaders.  Karak castle was built high on a hill with a view for miles in all direction to monitor any movement in the area.  Crusaders defended the castle through numerous sieges before it finally fell to the Muslim Armies of Salah ad-Din after an 8 month siege near the end of the Crusades.  The castle was of such strategic importance to both sides that during an attempted peace treaty in which the Crusaders were offered the return of to holy city of Jerusalem (and other cities), the Crusaders refused the offer unless Caslte Karak was also returned to their control.  The negotiations fell apart from there, followed by several more years of war.