Karak – The City of the Crusaders
Karak is the capital and the largest city of the Karak Governorate. Karak which was once a part of the Kingdom of Jerusalem lies 140 kms to the south of Amman on the King’s Highway. The city is situated 1000 meters on top of a hill and was at one time a Crusader stronghold. It is surrounded on three sides by a valley and offers you an excellent view of the Dead Sea. You will find a castle at the top of the hill and a city has been established all around the castle.
Karak has been in existence since the Iron Ages and it was an important city of the Moabites. Reference to this city can be found in the Bible as ‘Qer Harreseth’ where it has been mentioned as being a part of the Assyrian Empire. Later, the city fell to the Nabateans and the Romans. It occupied an important place under the Byzantine Empire and housed the much venerated and respected House of Nazareth.
Karak city’s population, as per 2003 census, is estimated to be 68,800. Most of the population of the city consists of Muslims, though there are quite a number of Christians. The percentage of Christians in Karak City is the highest in Jordan.
The city of Karak is situated on a plateau and the castle dominates the plateau. The Castle of Karak held an important position and it became the center of power. The castle is an excellent example of Crusader architecture with a mixture of European, Byzantine, and Arab designs. The walls of the castle have rectangular projecting towers and a deep moat, which totally isolates the area. By virtue of its position to the east of the Jordan River, Karak was in an invincible position to control the Bedouin herders as well as the trade routes from Damascus to Egypt and Mecca. The most important Crusader architecture that is still surviving is the North Wall, into which are built immense arched halls on two levels. They were not only used for living quarters but also as a fighting gallery as well as for shelter against enemy missiles. In AD 1840, Ibrahim Pasha of Egypt captured the castle and destroyed much of its fortifications. In the lower part of the castle, you will find the Karak Archeological Museum which has exhibits on the history and archeology of the Karak region tracing it from the prehistoric times to the Islamic era.
The city of Karak has a number of hotels and restaurants to cater to the visitors. About 50 kilometers to the north of Karak, you will see one of the most spectacular sights in all Jordan. It is the Wadi Mujib, a canyon which is over 1000 meters deep. This place has been mentioned in the Bible as ‘Arnon Gorge’ or ‘Arnon River’.
When you are in Jordan, you must make it a point of trying the local Jordanian cuisine. The popular traditional dishes are Mensal – this is the national dish of Jordan which is made of stewed lamb, Meze – these are small starters, Kebabs- minced meat which is barbecued, Musakhan – roasted chicken, stuffed baby lamb, Baklava – a pastry. It is said that all these local cuisine are extremely tasty and unforgettable. Your trip to Jordan is not complete if you do not taste these traditional dishes.