| What is it? |
Ash Shobak is a 12th century Crusader castle in central Jordan! |
| What makes it historical? |
Sometimes called Montreal, Shobak Castle was built in 1115 by French Crusader and first King of Jerusalem, Baldwin I! Having already conquered most of what is now Israel and parts of Lebanon, Baldwin pushed south toward Aqaba to secure this Red Sea trading port! Along the way, he had this castle set up to collect taxes from travelers on the road between Syria and Egypt. With two cisterns to provide water during times of seige, the Crusaders kept control of this castle until 1189 when the army of Salah ad-Din overwhelmed the fortress in a two-day battle! |
| How can I Help the Helpers? |
HERE’S HOW:
- Pay the entrance fee to help maintain trails, signs, structures, and other visitor services!
- Be a responsible visitor! Please respect the signs and pathways, and treat all structures and artifacts with respect. They’ve endured a lot to survive into the present. They’ll need our help to make it into the future!
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| Where is this place? |
There aren’t a lot of named streets here, so here are the GPS coordinates: 30.532466, 35.559050!
From Amman: ~129mi (208km) — 2.2hrs
From Aqaba: ~100mi (161km) — 1.7hrs
From Irbid: ~178mi (287km) — 3hrs
From Kerak: ~70mi (113km) — 1.2hrs |
| When should I go? |
During winter months, this site is open from 9:00 AM until 5:00 PM, and during the summer, it’s open until 7:00 PM! |
