Kerak Castle

From the rather sad and sadly named Potash City, I turned inland for another spectaclular and steep climb (I reckon an average 10% grade) up to the plateau..

The hill at Kerak, having such a command over the countryside has been fortified and used by successive peoples going back to prehistory, but it was the Crusaders who built the massive Kerak Castle as one in a string of castles running from south to north to provide an outer line of defense and control the access and trade routes.. It was started in 1144 and took 20 years to build which is quick given the size, isolated location and the fact the Crusaders were outsiders with no access to a large labour force. In the end, the Crusaders only held the site for a little over 40 years, falling to a months-long siege by the Muslims in 1188. After, it continued as an important fort for the Ayyubids, Mamluks and Ottomans.

It is a massive structure with 6m thick walls and multiple levels under the castle with tunnels and passages connecting dozens of rooms you can wander around..Read more