Kerak Castle

Kerak Castle is a large Crusader fortress in the town of al-Karak in Jordan, begun in 1142 under Pagan the Butler and Fulk, King of Jerusalem, and remaining in active use under a succession of rulers until 1917. Built on the southern end of a plateau protected by steep hills on three sides, it follows the spur castle plan that turns the natural terrain itself into a defense, and its architecture blends western European, Byzantine and Arab building traditions. Immense vaulted halls built into two levels of the north wall served as living quarters, stables and fighting galleries, while a glacis and a Byzantine era ditch added further obstacles to any attacking force. The castle is now a tourist destination beside the modern town of al-Karak, home to about 170,000 people, and the nearby Al Karak Archaeology Museum, relocated to an Ottoman era building outside the walls in 2019, documents the region's history.