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Al Karak

Jordan / al-Karak /

Whether you approach Karak from the ancient Kings Highway to the east, or from the Dead Sea to the west, the striking silhouette of this fortified town and castle will instantly make you understand why the fates of kings and nations were decided here for millennia.

An ancient Crusader stronghold, Karak sits 900m above sea level and lies inside the walls of the old city. Karak lies to the south of Amman, Jordan on the King's Highway . Karak commands a magnificent view of the Dead Sea. The city today is home to around 170,000 people and continues to boast a number of restored 19th century Ottoman buildings, restaurants, places to stay, and the like. But it is undoubtedly Karak Castle which dominates.

Al Karak has been inhabited since at least the Iron Age, and was an important city for the Moabites (who called it Qir of Moab) and the Nabateans. In the Bible it is called Qer Harreseth, and the Romans conquered it from the Nabateans in 105. During the late Hellenistic Period, Al Karak became an important town as was known as Kharkha. Under the Byzantine Empire it was a bishopric—containing the much venerated Church of Nazareth—and remained predominantly Christian under Arab rule.
Nearby cities:
Coordinates:   31°10'12"N   35°43'57"E

Comments

  • أمونة (guest)
    ما أجملها
  • ؤرللااى (guest)
    لؤبلاوةينمبك لاةفغ ث
  • abo al-7arth (guest)
  • ط£ظ…ظˆظ†ط© (guest)
    ,.........
  • اردني حر (guest)
    حيهم الكركيه النشامى ابطال الاردن وصقور ابو حسين ولسري لهم بالليل هيا على هيا حيهم الكركيه حيهم والاردن اولا
  • بيت رضوان فريج الفرايه (guest)
    بيت رضوان فريج الفرايه
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This article was last modified 16 years ago