THE HOLY LAND REGION BY REGION - Jerusalem and the Holy Land - page 207

with the Crusader parts built in
dark, volcanic tufa. The upper
courtyard, containing a much-
damaged Crusader chapel,
provides an exceptional
viewpoint. Steps lead down
to vast, dimly-lit, vaulted rooms
and corridors below ground.
The lower courtyard gives
access to a small Archaeo-
logical Museum displaying
locally excavated artifacts.
T Castle
El-Mujamma St. # daily.
E Archaeological Museum Tel [phone]. # 9am-5pm
daily. 8

Detail of a mosaic from the Memorial Church of Moses on Mount Nebo

Mount Nebo 5
Road map C3. 10 km (6 miles) NW
of Madaba. @ from Madaba then a
4-km (2.5-mile) walk, or taxi. #
7am-7pm daily (Oct-Apr: 5pm).

Kerak 7
Road map C4. * 19,000. @ n
El-Mujamma Street, [phone].

Shobak 8
Road map C5. 60 km (37 miles) S
of Ta fila. Tel [phone]. @ to
Shobak village, then taxi. # daily. The town of Kerak, on top

of a hill with a sheer drop on
three sides, is dominated by a
magnificent Crusader citadel.
Kerak was an important city
(and for a time the capital) of
the Biblical kingdom of Moab.
For this reason, the castle is
also sometimes known as
Krak des Moabites.
It was built in 1142 by the
Frankish lord of Oultrejourdain,
Payen le Bouteiller, to whom
the territory had been ceded by
King Baldwin II of Jerusalem
in 1126. It was the pearl in the
chain of fortifications that ran
between Jerusalem and Aqaba,
and replaced Shobak as the
centre of Oultrejourdain. Under
Reynald de Châtillon it resisted
assaults by Saladin's troops in
1183 and 1184, but finally fell
after a siege in 1188.
Arab repairs and additions
in white limestone contrast

This mountain rises at the
end of the long chain skirting
the Dead Sea, and offers
spectacular views of the Jordan
River and Dead Sea 1,000 m
(3,300 ft) below. It was from
here that Moses saw the
Promised Land just before he
died (Deuteronomy 34: 1-5).
In the early 4th century a
sanctuary, mentioned by the
pilgrim nun Egeria (see p32) ,
was built on Mount Nebo
(Fasaliyyeh in Arabic) to
honour Moses, probably over
the remains of a more ancient
construction. During the
Byzantine period, the church
was transformed into a fine
basilica with a sacristy and
new baptistry. Monastic
buildings were added later.
Since 1933, reconstruction
work has been carried out
on the church, now known
as the Memorial Church of
Moses . Mosaics inside include
a remarkable example in
the Old Baptistry depicting
farmers, hunters and an
assortment of animals
surrounded by geometric
decoration. A Greek inscrip-
tion dates it to AD 531.
Next to the New Baptistry, a
mosaic cross from the original
church stands on a modern
altar. Outside, the foundations
of the monastery can be seen.

Shobak, isolated on a rocky,
conical hill in rough, barren
surroundings at 1,300 m (4,265
ft) above sea level, is perhaps
the most impressively sited
castle in Jordan. It was called
Krak de Montréal, or Mons
Regalis, and was the first out-
post (1115) built beyond the
Jordan River by King Baldwin I
of Jerusalem to guard the road
from Egypt to Damascus. It re-
sisted many sieges until 1189,
when it fell to Saladin's troops.
The towers and walls are
well preserved and decorated
with carved inscriptions
dating from 14th-century
Mameluke renovations, but
the inside is ruinous. Near the
gatehouse, a well with over
350 dangerously slippery,
spiral, rock-cut steps
descends to a spring.

Madaba 6
See pp216-7. The impressive and well-preserved Crusader fortress at Kerak