Kerak Castle
Date:
Begun in 1142
Location or Findspot (Modern-Day Country):
Jordan
Description:
Kerak Castle is a fortress that was built to overlook an important commercial and military route from Damascus to Mecca and Egypt. Its first patron was Paganus Pincerna (Pagan the Butler). From around 1126, he was the lord of Oultrejourdain, the part of the Christian Kingdom of Jerusalem east and south of the Jordan River. His successors added a second exterior wall with projecting square towers. The two-story arched halls built into the north wall served as living quarters, stables, and fighting galleries. Muslim forces besieged the fortress repeatedly and captured it in 1188.
Relevant Textbook Chapter(s):
7
Repository and Online Resources:
• For more views, visit Dick Osseman's photography gallery.
Image Credits:
Wikimedia Commons; Navid Jamali
