Capturing the Castle: Kerak, Jordan

In my most recent post about Limassol Castle in Cyprus, I mentioned Guy de Lusignan, who built the castle and was at different points both King of Jerusalem and King of Cyprus. He was also a Crusader, and one of his fellow knights in the Levant was a chap called Raynald de Chatillon who, for a time, possessed Kerak Castle in what is today the Kingdom of Jordan. This put me in mind of my visit to Kerak, and I thought I would do a little write-up about it.

Kerak Castle was constructed in the 1140s by the wonderfully named Pagan the Butler. Apparently, he was, quite literally, butler to Baldwin II, King of Jerusalem. Evidently butlers did quite well for themselves back then. Located 900 metres above sea level, Kerak Castle was strategically important, situated along the King’s Way between Amman and Aqaba in what was once the Kingdom of Moab (as mentioned in the Bible). Pagan died before building was completed (it took about twenty years).

In the 1170s, Kerak came into the possession of the aforementioned Raynald de Chatillon, who seems to have been a particularly unpleasant sort of chap: torturer, harasser of caravans, and threatener of Muslim pilgrims. The mighty Muslim leader, Saladin, laid siege to the castle for about a month from early November 1183 but was defeated by the Crusaders. However, good old Raynald broke a truce in 1186 or 1187, resulting in the Battle of Hattin, in which the Crusaders were defeated by Saladin’s army. Raynald was then executed by Saladin himself (there’s nothing like a personal touch). Kerak fell into Muslim hands at that point and stayed there, becoming an administrative centre. In the thirteenth century, the castle came under the control of the Mamluk Sultan Baibars, who enlarged it. It retained its significance (and benefitted from lucrative tax revenue) during the Ottoman era due to its location on an important trade route between Damascus and Cairo.

above and below: Views from Kerak Castle.

above: Fossils in the rock at Kerak Castle.

Ultimately a combination of European, Byzantine, and Arab design, Kerak Castle still offers some amazing views of the surrounding landscape and is a window into a fascinating history of cultural clashes and crossroads.

 

For more information: Kerak