Karak

The ancient capital of Moab, Karak now humbles itself in the shadow of Karak Castle, the largest of the mountaintop Crusader castles, which stretch from Turkey to southern Jordan. In 1132 AD, Baldwin I built the castle midway between Shobak and Jerusalem. Although the fortress wall has mostly collapsed, its building blocks remain large enough to inspire awe. Inside, the vaulted stone ceilings span only a few meters, resulting in a network of long narrow audience halls and barracks. You can still see the bolt holes for mammotf] stone doors that have since turned to dust or, worse, souvenirs.

The castle is riddled with secret passageways and hidden rooms. To the west across the moat you can see battlements from which the charming Renauld de Chatillon cast prisoners to their deaths (with wooden boxes attached to their heads to preserve their consciousness). The tower in the northwest corner is a 13th-century addition. Below, a 50m tunnel leads out of the town through an arched gateway (open daily 8am-7pm). To the right of the castle entrance, a stone staircase descends to the Archeological Museum. It holds Nabatean and Roman coins, Mamluk pottery, insipid descriptions of the incredible archeological site at Bab ad-Dhira and of the biblical cities of Buseirah and Rabbah, and a plaster copy of Dhiban’s Mesha Stele, too. (Open Wed.-Mon. 9am-5pm. Admission to castle and museum 150fils.)