Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
ows beneath the pine-forested and sometimes snow capped hills. Most trails are either
small vehicle tracks or stony paths, some of which continue beyond the park's boundaries.
The area is very popular with local picnickers on Fridays, and litter is a problem.
Impinging on the park, construction is underway for a seven-star hotel, financed by an
Emirati national, expected to be completed by 2015. There is currently no other place to
stay.
The park is only usefully accessed by car. Follow the signs from Jerash and expect to
get lost! Keep heading for the obvious hillside woodland as you pass through nearby ham-
lets and you will eventually stumble on the entrance.
Ajloun
02 / POP 94,458 / ELEV 744M
It may look a bit rough around the edges, but Ajloun (or Ajlun) is founded on an ancient
market town and boasts a 600-year-old mosque. Most visitors, however, don't come to ex-
perience this chaotic little hub and its limited attractions. They come for the impressive
castle that perches on top of a nearby hill, where it has commanded the high ground for
nearly 1000 years.
With the biblical site of Mar Elias and one of Jordan's best nature reserves in the vicin-
ity, Ajloun makes a good base for a couple of days of exploration. It is also reasonably
close to Jerash (30 minutes by minibus, 20 minutes by car), offering alternative accom-
modation and making a rewarding weekend circuit from Amman.
Sights
Qala'at ar-Rabad (Ajloun Castle)
(admission JD1; 8am-4pm Oct-Apr, to 7pm May-Sep)
This historic castle was built
atop Mt 'Auf (1250m) between 1184 and 1188 by one of Saladin's generals (and also
nephew), 'Izz ad-Din Usama bin Munqidh. It was enlarged in 1214 with the addition of a
new gate in the southeastern corner, and once boasted seven towers as well as a surround-
ing 15m-deep dry moat.
The castle commands views of the Jordan Valley and three wadis leading into it - the
Kufranjah, Rajeb and Al-Yabes - making it an important strategic link in the defensive
chain against the Crusaders, and a counterpoint to the Crusader Belvoir Fort on the Sea of
CASTLE
