Kerak Castle — Attraction in Karak

Careful for the sudden "Guide". We have Jordan pass, so after we return from Wadi Rum, we just stopped at this Castle because its include in Jordan Pass ( If you pay, the ticket is 2 JOD) ) We checked in at ticket counter, he asked if need guide. We said no, because we we're in a hurry before going to Airport. When we entered, a Guy, so friendly kept asking where we come from, how do we like Jordan. And keep Walking with us. Following us while he kepr talking about the Castle. In one point, he shower us about the kerak Castle attack in 2016. Then keep following us. We already shower that we werent interest with him following us. Our Mistake we're we should said NO. We felt not nice if we shoo him away without knowing his intention. In the end before we left, he asked for money. I gave him 2 JOD. And he asked 15 JOD. I am surprised how big amount of money he asked for that short period of following us and kept talking. For me, he guided us without we asked and we can read the information he gave from Wikipedia. I reported this to ticket office. How much the guide fee? He said 15 JOD. Sounds fishy.. I told the ticket guy, that I didnt ask him. Then ticket Guy asked me how much I want to give him? I said I will just give him extra 5 JOD. Total he got 7 JOD for the guide we didnt ask. In the end, The castle ruin itself was nice to see with sweeping panorama from the top. But the experience left us bad. So, the whole trip in Jordan was Great with much hospitality and friendly people must ended with uncomfortable feeling being scammed. Please just avoid and say NO when someone try to guide you in...

We parked in a lot near the top of the mountain, about 30m from the castle entrance. (You'll see huge signs directing you there once you are near the top) 3 dinar charge or if you eat at his cafe there's no charge for the parking. We ate at the cafe with our kids. Good food and quick service. We walked to the castle, showed our Jordan pass that we purchased when we bought our plane tickets and then entered the castle through a portable booth. It's a unique experience to visit a castle with so many architectural influences and in such an arid environment. At first glance, it doesn't appear Ike there is much to explore until you go underground and wend your way through chambers and long corridors and secret passageways. We didn't go with a guide and it's possible we missed larger portions of the castle. There also seemed to be an entrance to another part of the castle where they were trying to charge you more money to enter, even though we had already paid entry. They do this in Petra too. It looks like they are trying to maintain the castle a little bit but I'd definitely whatch my step!.The views from the top are 360⁰, with agricultural land, desert and Kerak city hanging in tightly to steep ridges and nestled in deep valleys. We're...

Kerak Castle is a large medieval fortress built in the 12th century. It is one of the largest castles in the Levant and has a rich history of being controlled by various empires and dynasties.

The construction of Kerak Castle spanned many civilizations but the Crusader construction began in the 1140s under Pagan and Fulk, King of Jerusalem. The Crusaders called it Crac des Moabites or “Karak in Moab”. The castle features a unique design, with a huge glacis of steep, slippery masonry below its walls, intended to hinder attackers attempting to climb.

There is a Business church, an Ayyubid, Mamluk, Ottoman and most recently a Jordanian Hashemite construction.

The historical significance of Kerak Castle is that it has been controlled by several empires and dynasties, including:

Kingdom of Moab Nabateans Romans Ayyubids Mamluk Sultanate Ottoman Empire Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan

The castle has witnessed several significant battles and sieges, including the Siege of Al-Karak in 1183 and the final capture of the castle by Saladin in 1187.

The castle’s strategic location and military architecture made it a prized possession, leading to its constant change of hands...