Karak and Jerash

One of the benefits of living in the Middle East is that the desert climate means there is less erosion and little weathering away of ancient buildings and settlements.  In the past several weeks I have been lucky enough to visit two of the archaeological gems of Jordan:  Karak Castle and the Roman Decapolis city of Jerash.

Saladin Statue

Karak is a city built on top of a mountain and surrounded on all sides by deep canyons with views of the Dead Sea, Israel, and the Palestinian Territories to the west.  The city and region surrounding Karak has been continuously inhabited for several millennia by such civilizations as the Moabites, Nabateans, Romans, and Byzantines prior to the arrival of Islam to the Arab world in the 7th Century CE.  Karak Castle was constructed in the 12th Century CE and was the site of many battles between the Christian Crusaders and Arab Muslims led by the famed Saladin.

Into the deep

Upon visiting Karak Castle, one notices that it has changed hands and has been expanded multiple times.  One finds several churches, mosques, and palaces, as well as several "external" walls in the interior of the current structure.  One also finds an extensive series of underground passageways and chambers built with striking engineering ingenuity.  Although completely below the surface, all rooms were equipped with a series of holes in the ground, ceiling, and walls to let in light and air circulation and to allow for water drainage.

Western Wall with Umm Al-Thalaja in the background

As beautiful and intriguing this castle and its structures are, I must admit, however, that I was most taken by the scenery and topography of the location.  Standing atop the Mamluk Keep at the southern end of the castle and pondering the deep canyons below to the east and the west, it's not surprising that the Crusaders chose this location to build their castle, both for its defensive position but also for its beauty.

Looking North from the Mamluk Keep

For more pictures from Karak, click here.


As impressive as Karak Castle was, and I as lucky as I was to visit it on such a beautiful day, I have to say that my visit to Jerash was only that much better.  Jerash is an incredibly well preserved Roman city in the fertile hills of Gilead to the west of Mafraq.  Jerash itself has been continuously inhabited since it was founded by Alexander the Great in 333 BCE, but was at its peak as one of the leading cities of the Roman Decapolis in the 2nd and 3rd Centuries CE.

Temple of Zeus and the Forum in the foreground with Modern Jerash in the background

The ancient city is composed of numerous temples and churches, two impressive theaters, a beautiful 800 meter long colonnaded street, an oval-shaped forum, three striking gates complete with arches, a mosaic-floored bathhouse, and a hippodrome used for chariot racing.

Hadrian's (Triumphal) Arch and the Hippodrome

As you may have noticed, I did not mention any form of housing in my previous sentence.  This is because the preserved ancient city was merely the administrative and economic center of the city.  In the times of the Roman Decapolis, the majority of the city's 20,000 inhabitants lived on a hill to the east and connected by bridges and causeways across the ravine.  Unfortunately, these ancient settlements can no longer be visited as they are all buried under the modern city of Jerash (population 40,000).

The Forum

Nonetheless, what is preserved is striking and I hope you enjoy the pictures.  For the full album, please click here.

Finally, as many of your probably know, I celebrated my 29th birthday about a month ago and was lucky enough to have several neighbor boys bring me a cake and sing me "Happy Birthday".