Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
The arrival of the Crusaders gave the city renewed prominence, especially after Cru-
sader king Baldwin I of Jerusalem built the castle in AD 1142. Standing midway between
Shobak and Jerusalem, Karak's commanding position and strategic value are obvious: it
soon became the capital of the Crusader district of Oultrejourdain and, with the taxes
levied on passing caravans and food grown in the district, helped Jerusalem to prosper.
Saladin's Muslim armies took the castle in 1183 after an epic siege. The Mamluk sultan
Beybars took the fort in 1263 and strengthened the fortress, deepening the moat and
adding the lower courtyard, but three towers collapsed in an earthquake in AD 1293.
Little more is known of the castle until Jean Louis Burckhardt (the Swiss explorer who
rediscovered Petra) passed through Karak in 1812, describing the castle as 'shattered but
imposing'.
In the 1880s, religious fighting compelled the Christians of Karak to flee north to re-
settle in Madaba and Ma'in; peace was only restored after thousands of Turkish troops
were stationed in Karak.
CARNAGE AT KARAK
For some reason, travellers often make the extra effort to travel the King's Highway and yet don't bother to pause at
Karak. This is a great pity because it is home to one of the country's great highlights - the imposing crusader castle
of Karak.
Built in 1142, the castle has a rather dark history. Indeed, some claim that if they stand above the parapet at
Karak, with the wind in a particular direction, they can hear a wailful moaning on the wind. Rumour has it that these
are the ghosts of the victims of one Renauld de Chatillon, a French crusader who inherited the castle by marriage
soon after it was built.
De Chatillon, who arrived from France in 1148, was effective in seizing control of the trade routes to Egypt and
Mecca, thereby disrupting the supply lines of the Islamic armies. De Chatillon's bigger claim to fame (or notoriety),
however, was his sadistic gusto in interning the weakened soldiers in the dungeons of Karak castle. Here he de-
lighted in torturing the hapless prisoners. After baiting them with descriptions of their forthcoming fate, he would
then have them hurled off the castle walls into the rocky wadi, 450m below. That was the relatively good bit. The
bad bit was that he went to the trouble of having a wooden box fastened over their heads first so they wouldn't lose
consciousness before hitting the ground.
Hated by Saladin for his treachery, De Chatillon was later executed by the redoubtable Islamic warrior - the only
Crusader leader to meet such a fate. Today, his brooding castle still dominates the King's Highway, providing a fas-
cinating insight into the struggle for the Holy Land between Christians and Muslims that echoes down the centuries.
