Shobak

As the desert becomes more desolate and Petra’s small brook more resonant from only a half-hour drive south, the village of Shobak (NijU-Shobak) emerges. From the marked turn-off at the northern edge of town, travel 4km to Shobak Castle, the first of seven castles built by the Crusader King Baldwin I in 1115 to control the triangular trade route between Syria, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia.

It didn’t work: the castle fell to Salah ad-Din in 1189- Although most of the castle is gone, the view from the approach road across the natural moat is inspiring, with colossal white stones silhouetted against desert brush and a cobalt sky. Villagers who lived inside the castle walls and depended upon the water from the rock-hewn well, 375 steps deep, have recently abandoned the area, leaving a secluded spot for free camping.
Shobak town can possibly be reached in a shared minibus from Karak and Wadi Musa (near Petra), although much of the traffic between those towns takes the Desert Highway. If you hire a taxi, make sure the driver will not gouge you for waiting while you investigate.