The fortresses and castles of the crusades were usually placed on the picturesque Road of the Kings. This historical road led from Damascus (or Dimashq) and Amman all the way to Aqaba – with forts and watch-towers.
Let’s go along on the Road of Kings!

 

Wadi Mujib is a 400-metre-deep pit, located 74 kilometres from Amman. On its edge we can find the biblical, Nabateus, Roman and Byzantine relics of the Road of Kings. The pit was created by uplifts, filled with flowers during spring-time. During biblical times it was a boarder: the people of Moab living in the area to the north, the Edomites and the Nabateuses in the area to the south..
 

Like most crusade castles, the Qalat ash-Shawbak of Shobak is also on the top of a mountain. The outer walls are still standing, yet the inside is ruined. The castle was rebuilt many times; this is proven by the relics.
All of these geomorphologic features made the site around the castle a strategic location that was, naturally, easy to defend. The shape of the landscape also helped in providing water. Springs gush from valleys facing to the east, which are different to the usual springs at villages in the south Jordan coming out of slopes facing to the west (Wadi Musa, Tafileh, Dana, Taybeh, and others). The way in which this castle uses its natural elegant pedestal, both for acquiring its magnificent vertical scale for defence and for benefiting from cool spring water, is part of the overall charming qualities of this monument.
While the Crusaders called it “Le Krak de Montreal”, the current name of Shobak refers to the castle as well as its surroundings of about ten villages. The recent history of the castle is directly connected to these villages.
 

The rugged beauty and natural diversity of Dana make this natural reserve a worthwhile stop for visitors to Jordan. The reserve encompasses some of Jordan’s most breathtaking sceneries, stretching from the 1800-meter-high Sharaa Mountains in the east down to the dunes of Wadi Araba at sea level.
Dana became the Kingdom’s sixth wildlife reserve in 1990, thereby protecting all animals —including endangered species such as the ibex — from the ravages of hunting. The small village of Dana is located next to the nature reserve. Artefacts uncovered indicate that man has inhabited this area for six thousand years, drawn by the region’s fertile land and natural springs.
Dana Nature Reserve hosts a wide variety of fauna, including ibex, mountain gazelle, fox, badger, porcupine, wolf, hyrax, striped hyena, jackal and many others. Numerous species of birdlife roam the skies of Dana too. Visitors to Dana are welcome to take advantage of the designated campground area and the hiking trails which crisscross the reserve. The rather luxurious campground offers meals, showers, guided walks around the reserve, and tents with mattresses and pillows.
Dana is located near Qadisiyya, about 25 kilometres south of Tafileh and just to the north of Shobak on the King’s Highway.