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Al-Karak
Al-Karak (Arabic: الكرك), in English sources often simply Karak, is a city in Jordan known for its medieval castle, the Kerak Castle. The castle is one of the three largest castles in the region, the other two being in Syria. Al-Karak is the capital city of the Karak Governorate.
Al-Karak lies 140 kilometres (87 mi) to the south of Amman on the ancient King's Highway. It is situated on a hilltop about 1,000 metres (3,300 ft) above sea level and is surrounded on three sides by a valley. Al-Karak has a view of the Dead Sea. A city of about 32,216 people (2005) was formed around castle. The town is built on a triangular plateau with the castle at its narrow southern tip.
Al-Karak has been inhabited since at least the Iron Age, and was an important city for the Moabites. In the Bible it is called Kir-haresh, Kir-hareseth or Kir of Moab, and is identified as having been subject to the Neo-Assyrian Empire; in the Books of Kings (2 Kings 16:9) and Book of Amos (Amos 1:5, 9:7), it is mentioned as the place where the Arameans went before they settled in the regions in the northern Levant, and to which Tiglath-Pileser III (r. 745–727 BC) sent prisoners after the conquest of Damascus. Later the Shamaili kingdom seized power, but little has been recorded about this period. In 1958, the El-Kerak Inscription was found in Wadi al-Karak, dated to the late 9th century BC.
During the late Hellenistic Period, Al-Karak became an important town, taking its name from the Aramaic word for town, Kharkha (כרכא).
The area eventually became a Nabatean stronghold. The Roman Empire conquered it in 105 AD. The city was known in Late Antiquity as Harreketh.
Al-Karak is home to some of the oldest Christian communities in the world, dating back to the 1st century AD. Under the Byzantine Empire, Charach (Ancient Greek: Χαραχ, Kharkh) or Charach of the Moabites (Χαραχμωβα, Kharakhmōba) was the seat of the Church of Nazareth, and remained predominantly Christian under Arab rule following the 629 Battle of Mu'tah. Its bishop Demetrius took part in the council of the three provinces of Palaestina held in Jerusalem in 536. Another bishop, by the name of John, is said to have lived there in the 9th century.
Al-Karak fell within the Crusader lordship of Oultrejourdain, the lands east of the River Jordan and the Dead Sea. In 1132, King Fulk of Jerusalem made Pagan the Butler Lord of Montreal and Oultrejourdain. Pagan made his headquarters at al-Karak, where he built a castle on a hill called by the Crusaders Petra Deserti - The Stone of the Desert. His castle, much modified, dominates the town to this day.
The castle was in Crusader hands for only 46 years. It had been threatened by Saladin's armies several times, but finally surrendered in 1188, after the crushing Crusader defeat at the Battle of Hattin and a siege that lasted more than a year. Saladin's younger brother, Al-Adil, was governor of the district until becoming ruler of Egypt and Syria in 1199. Yaqut (1179–1229) noted that "Al Karak is a very strongly fortified castle on the borders of Syria, towards Balka province, and in the mountains. It stands on a rock surrounded by Wadis, except on the side towards the suburb." Al-Dimashqi (1256–1327) noted that Karak: "is an impregnable fortress, standing high on the summit of a mountain. Its fosses are the valleys around it, which are very deep. They say it was originally, in Roman days, a convent, and was turned into a fortress. It is now a treasure house of the Turks." Abu'l-Fida (1273−1331) noted that Al Karak "is a celebrated town with a very high fortress, one of the most unassailable of the fortresses of Syria. About a day's march from it is Mutah, where are the tombs of Ja'afar at Tayyar and his companions. Below Al Karak is a valley, in which is a thermal bath (hammam), and many gardens with "excellent" fruits, such as apricots, pears, pomegranates, and others."
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Al-Karak
Al-Karak (Arabic: الكرك), in English sources often simply Karak, is a city in Jordan known for its medieval castle, the Kerak Castle. The castle is one of the three largest castles in the region, the other two being in Syria. Al-Karak is the capital city of the Karak Governorate.
Al-Karak lies 140 kilometres (87 mi) to the south of Amman on the ancient King's Highway. It is situated on a hilltop about 1,000 metres (3,300 ft) above sea level and is surrounded on three sides by a valley. Al-Karak has a view of the Dead Sea. A city of about 32,216 people (2005) was formed around castle. The town is built on a triangular plateau with the castle at its narrow southern tip.
Al-Karak has been inhabited since at least the Iron Age, and was an important city for the Moabites. In the Bible it is called Kir-haresh, Kir-hareseth or Kir of Moab, and is identified as having been subject to the Neo-Assyrian Empire; in the Books of Kings (2 Kings 16:9) and Book of Amos (Amos 1:5, 9:7), it is mentioned as the place where the Arameans went before they settled in the regions in the northern Levant, and to which Tiglath-Pileser III (r. 745–727 BC) sent prisoners after the conquest of Damascus. Later the Shamaili kingdom seized power, but little has been recorded about this period. In 1958, the El-Kerak Inscription was found in Wadi al-Karak, dated to the late 9th century BC.
During the late Hellenistic Period, Al-Karak became an important town, taking its name from the Aramaic word for town, Kharkha (כרכא).
The area eventually became a Nabatean stronghold. The Roman Empire conquered it in 105 AD. The city was known in Late Antiquity as Harreketh.
Al-Karak is home to some of the oldest Christian communities in the world, dating back to the 1st century AD. Under the Byzantine Empire, Charach (Ancient Greek: Χαραχ, Kharkh) or Charach of the Moabites (Χαραχμωβα, Kharakhmōba) was the seat of the Church of Nazareth, and remained predominantly Christian under Arab rule following the 629 Battle of Mu'tah. Its bishop Demetrius took part in the council of the three provinces of Palaestina held in Jerusalem in 536. Another bishop, by the name of John, is said to have lived there in the 9th century.
Al-Karak fell within the Crusader lordship of Oultrejourdain, the lands east of the River Jordan and the Dead Sea. In 1132, King Fulk of Jerusalem made Pagan the Butler Lord of Montreal and Oultrejourdain. Pagan made his headquarters at al-Karak, where he built a castle on a hill called by the Crusaders Petra Deserti - The Stone of the Desert. His castle, much modified, dominates the town to this day.
The castle was in Crusader hands for only 46 years. It had been threatened by Saladin's armies several times, but finally surrendered in 1188, after the crushing Crusader defeat at the Battle of Hattin and a siege that lasted more than a year. Saladin's younger brother, Al-Adil, was governor of the district until becoming ruler of Egypt and Syria in 1199. Yaqut (1179–1229) noted that "Al Karak is a very strongly fortified castle on the borders of Syria, towards Balka province, and in the mountains. It stands on a rock surrounded by Wadis, except on the side towards the suburb." Al-Dimashqi (1256–1327) noted that Karak: "is an impregnable fortress, standing high on the summit of a mountain. Its fosses are the valleys around it, which are very deep. They say it was originally, in Roman days, a convent, and was turned into a fortress. It is now a treasure house of the Turks." Abu'l-Fida (1273−1331) noted that Al Karak "is a celebrated town with a very high fortress, one of the most unassailable of the fortresses of Syria. About a day's march from it is Mutah, where are the tombs of Ja'afar at Tayyar and his companions. Below Al Karak is a valley, in which is a thermal bath (hammam), and many gardens with "excellent" fruits, such as apricots, pears, pomegranates, and others."