Al-Karak
Al-Karak
Al-Karak has been called by several names through its various eras: Kair Haresa, Kair Moab, the Jewel of the Desert, and it was one of the most important cities in the Kingdom of Moab, whether before or after the rule of King Mesha al-Moabi. It is located 130 km south of the capital, Amman, location coordinates 35.70125, 31.18184
It is the most important archaeological site in the city of Karak, which played an important role throughout history, starting from the Moabite period 860 BC, through the Nabataean, Roman, Byzantine, early Islamic, and Crusader periods.
It is located on the southern end of the plateau, on which the city of Karak was built with an area of 25,000 square meters. It is a fortified site with a group of abyssal valleys from the western, southern, and western facades, and a rocky trench dug in the northern facade of the castle to form a barrier to protect the castle. All sides of the castle are surrounded by protection towers and reinforcement of its walls and it contains slits (balistraria) for shooting arrows. In addition, there were many architectural elements in the castle, including stables, a press, a furnace on the northern side of the castle, the Byzantine church and a market in the center, and in the Mamluk era a palace, school, and attached mosque on the southern side. One of the most important architectural elements inside the castle is the Nasiriyah hall, which is a long hall located along the western wall of the castle and has a half-barrel vaulted roof that drops below ground level and is accessed through a series of stairs.