Bosra, Syria to Kerak, Jordan
Most Syrian museums are closed today. But what about in Jordan?
Kerak area tourism sites:
http://www.baptismsite.com/
http://www.tourism.jo/Baptism_Site/Baptism_Site.asp
Good serious website for information about the Kerak area of Jordan
http://karaknet.blogspot.com/
Kerak guide from Wikipedia:
http://wikitravel.org/en/Kerak
It declares the Kerak Rest House, tel. 03-2351148, is the fanciest digs in town (with 3 stars). It is located 20 meters from the citadel and has excellent views. That said, JD27.500/40 (including taxes and breakfast) for a comfortable but rather minimal room is still a little steep. And you'll be woken up bright and early by the mosque next door.
A traveller’s review of the Kerak area:
Advantages: Fantastic Castle, Beautiful Views
Disadvantages: None
There is really only one reason to visit Kerak, and that is to visit the crusader castle that wraps around the top of the hill and encircles most of Kerak. The crusader castle has one main area to visit. This can be accessed near the government rest house (which is ok for lunch). The entry fee is 1JD per person. However, bits of the castle crop up all around Kerak with some of the “modern” buildings using ancient walls as part of their fabric. The castle is quite run down, but efforts have been made in recent years to restore it. Having said this, you can still make sense of the castle. You can identify stables, dining halls, sleeping areas, defensive installations etc. Kids will love the castle as there are walls and rocks to climb up and scramble over.
Kerak lies along the old King's Highway which runs through Madaba and down to Petra. The King's Highway used to be Jordan's main thoroughfare from north to south. However the Dessert Highway is now used as a quicker route, as is the Dead Sea road through Wadi Araba. As a result of this Kerak is often left off tourist itineraries. If you have time, visit Kerak and drive out of Kerak northward along the King's highway and go through Wadi Mujib - one of Jordan's most amazing scenes....the Middle East’s answer to the Grand Canyon.
Link to the Kerak portion of the Footprint Guide to Jordan:
http://books.google.ca/books?id=XoXcCFx_ipYC&pg=PA231&lpg=PA231&dq=Kerak+Rest+House&source=web&ots=xEFwqS1EWf&sig=cSQzZjESLQ4yfOylZ80ENv2g-gg&hl=en&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=6&ct=result
An interesting account written by a visitor to the Kerak castle:
Kerak Crusader Castle
Known as Kir Moab in Biblical times, Kerak was a walled city high on a mountain. It was the site where the King of Moab sacrificed his eldest son on the city walls to ask god Chemosh for assistance when Kings from Israel, Judah and Edom were attacking (2 Kings 3:27).
In 1132, King Baldwin I built Kerak Castle halfway between Shobak and Jerusalem to fortify his defense. Ancient trading caravans traveling from Egypt to Syria were required to pay taxes to him as they passed through.
For 56 years Kerak withstood Arab attacks led by Saladin, their Muslim leader. During one particular attack, November 20, 1183, a wedding was taking place. The nephew of Crusader ruler Reynauld of Chatilla was marrying 11 year old Isabella. When the groom's mother sent dishes from the bridal feast to Saladin, he ordered his army to withhold fire.
A peace treaty was established, allowing trade to multiply significantly as it became safe for both Christians and Muslims. Four years later however, Reynauld barbarically attacked a passing Muslim caravan going to Mecca. In revenge, Saladin bombarded Kerak, captured Reynauld, personally beheaded him, and took control of the castle. In subsequent years, Kerak was occupied by other groups, including Mamelukes, Ottomans, bedouins and Turks.
We visited this castle on the edge of Kerak's bustling city and began our exploration of the large, multi-storied complex. Carefully stepping around collapsed ceilings and unstable planks, we walked through rooms, passages and towers. Some rooms were beautifully preserved, other areas were perfectly dangerous!
Unfortunately, we didn't have a very good understanding of what we were looking at. Our hired "guide" simply led us to the ticket office, told us to "Read about it in your book" and left us to explore the site on our own, while he waited for us inside the Rest House Restaurant. (By the way, resource books are invaluable in Jordan, as none of the sites had any written information available.)
I poked into an underground area (dungeon?) that a museum attendant opened for us when we asked, "Where direction is Israel?"
Comically, he grabbed a key, told us to follow him and proceeded to unlock a door leading to a long dark staircase. Then gestured us to descend. Remembering reading about the deepest, biggest room of the castle being adjacent to the museum, I ran down the stairs while my husband remained at the top, struggling to correct the miscommunication. I peered into a vast room (no Israel here!), and saw nothing but a clean, polished floor. I snapped a quick photo while David stayed at the top, wary of being locked up.
The small museum is a gem. Open 8-8, it displays Neolithic tools, Iron Age pottery, and a copy of the Mesha Stele. And a great exhibit on Gertrude Bell, the gutsy woman explorer.
Another traveller’s account:
After a bit, we decided to go to Kerak, a small town whose claim to fame is that it (a) is the site of Kerak Castle, built by the Crusaders; and (b) is the hometown of Hekam, our AIS-R school secretary (Hi Hekam!). We drove the scenic Kings Highway in the dark (a shame) and missed the some of the best scenery in Jordan. We did learn the "Donkey donkey donkey," phrase though. As James, driving ahead of us, came around a hairpin turn, what should be out in the middle of the road but a donkey! James' car and the donkey came nose to nose and James sure woke up in a hurry! The donkey was really cute - and the shepherd was sleeping in his tent off the road a bit.
With the donkey past us, we finally came into Kerak around 8 pm or so. As we drove into town the castle was dramatically lit and highlighted against the skyline. It dominates the town and countryside for miles around. We wound our way around slowly through town until we climbed the road to the Kerak Guest House which sits right next to the castle. It was still Ramadan so we managed to get a pretty good deal on rooms. After getting settled we went downstairs for a drink and sat talking to the owner until the wee hours over arrak and coffee. Arrak is the local version of Sambuca or Ouzo and was very tasty. The owner told us about his sons who were studying in Spain, and what life was like around Kerak and Madaba, where he was originally from.
Finally it was time for bed, and off we went with plans to tour Kerak Castle and then drive down to Petra in the afternoon to see the sun set over Az Khaznak, the treasury building just as you emerge into Petra.
Another traveller’s account:
The small, busy town of Kerak, about 80 miles south of Amman, sits atop an isolated hill encircled by Crusader walls. On three sides, sheer cliffs plunge to the valley below. A well-preserved castle occupies a rocky spur on the edge of town.
As we wound our way toward the castle entrance over the route of caravans that once traveled from Egypt to Syria, we spotted our hotel, the Kerak Rest House, directly next door. Both the restaurant and our simple, comfortable rooms shared the same staggering vista as the castle. We enjoyed a delicious dinner of abundant mezze (appetizers), tabbouleh, baba ghanouj, tomato and cucumber salad, followed by artfully presented lamb and chicken on rice with a tangy yogurt sauce and pine nuts. By morning's light, we were refreshed and ready to explore the castle's dark passages and occasional sheer drops before climbing back into the car and heading south toward Petra.
Kerak O/N
Kerak Rest House
http://books.google.ca/books?id=vguFp1PWylsC&pg=PA231&lpg=PA231&dq=Kerak+Rest+House&source=web&ots=0hmfkI442f&sig=UAZyDLZG0ZuRkYIJ3rBOQFZ7MNo&hl=en&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=6&ct=result
There are no TripAdvisor reviews for the Kerak Rest House
The 15-room Kerak Rest House, (962-3) 351 148, fax (962-3) 353 148, sits next to the town's Crusader castle and has amazing views across a deep valley. A comfortable double (with view) and breakfast is $56, at .7 Jordanian dinar to the dollar.
The dining room offers Arab fare for about $14 a person with wine.
