Al Karak
Kerak castle
Kerak (Arabic الكرك, DMG al -Karak, French also Crac des Moabites, Le Pierre du Desert ) is a city in Jordan with 20,280 inhabitants ( 2004 census ). In the village are the ruins of a castle of the Crusaders of the Kingdom of Jerusalem. This castle is not to be confused with the more famous Krak des Chevaliers in Syria.
History
The ruins of the castle Kerak are on a rocky outcrop about 1000 meters above sea level and surrounded on three sides by a valley. The site has been inhabited since at least the Iron Age, was an important city of Moab, and the Nabateans. In the time of the Old Testament, the place had different names: Kir, Kir - Moab, or Kir -heres ( " broken city "). In the Bible he is called Qer Harreseth, the Romans conquered him by the Nabataeans in 105 In the Byzantine Empire, he was a bishop 's seat, among the Arabs, he remained largely Christian.
From 1142 let Paganus, or Payen le Bouteillier the butler of the king Fulk built the Crusader castle. The Crusaders called it Crac des Moabites. Paganus was also Lord of Oultrejordain, Karak became the center of his rule, the weaker castle Montreal displaced in the south. Because of its location east of the Jordan Kerak was able to control both the Bedouin and the trade routes from Damascus to Egypt and Mecca.
1176 got Rainald of Chatillon after his marriage to Stephanie of Milly, the widow Humfrieds III. of Toron, the castle in his hand. From Kerak from Raynald harassed the caravans and even tried to attack Mecca. 1183 Saladin besieged the castle in response to Rainald attacks. The siege took place during the marriage of Humphrey IV of Toron and Isabella of Jerusalem instead, and Saladin agreed to the tower, where the wedding was celebrated, during the celebrations not to attack - in stark contrast to the rest of the castle. The siege was raised by King Baldwin IV later. A renewed siege by Saladin in 1184 was repealed as of Baldwin IV.
After the Battle of Hattin in 1187, Saladin Kerak besieged again and conquered finally, after eight months of siege, 1188th It is claimed that the defenders were forced to leave their women and children sold into slavery to obtain food (which is also of the siege is Montreal's claims ).
Under the Ayyubid and Mamlucken Kerak remained a regional seat of power.
The Kerak Castle is a well-known example of Crusader architecture, a mixture of European, Byzantine and Arabic style. Long it was a ruin, while around them the modern city has formed. 2008, but was restored in large parts. The castle contains an archaeological museum are exhibited in the finds from the surrounding area, ranging from the Stone Age to the Middle Ages. The history of the castle and town of Kerak is also shown.
Kerak Inscription
1958 a granite fragment of a Moabite inscription was probably found by the end of the 9th century BC in Kerak, which is a parallel to the Mesha stele. The readable words are: " ... [ K ] emosch - Jat, King of Moab, the Di [ bonite ] ... Chemosh the looters (or plundered or incineration ), because ... And behold, I have made the / the / the ... ". The inscription is now in the Jordanian Archaeological Museum in Amman.