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Kerak: what to see, where to stay and how to get around

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Kerak stands on a ridge between two valleys, a natural fortress that has been fortified since biblical times. The Crusaders built the castle in the 12th century to control the caravan road between Damascus and Egypt, and it became the stage for one of the most famous feuds of the Crusades. This walk climbs from the old town into the castle and down through its halls. About three hours; the castle is cool inside, but its upper courts are fully exposed to the sun.

Kerak

A short history of Kerak

Kerak sits on a high ridge above the Dead Sea, and in the Bible it is mentioned as Kir of Moab, one of the cities of the Kingdom of Moab. In 1142 the Crusaders built a large fortress here, intended to control the route between Damascus and Egypt and the Arabian Peninsula. In the 1170s and 1180s it was held by Raynald of Châtillon, who attacked Muslim caravans from there, and in 1183 Saladin besieged it during a wedding being held in the fortress. After the Battle of Hattin the fortress surrendered in 1188. The Mamluks enlarged it, and it still stands as one of the largest Crusader fortresses in the Middle East.

The ten best sights in Kerak

  1. Kerak Castle
    1
    Kerak Castle

    Go deep: the vaulted lower halls are the best part; bring a torch

  2. Castle Museum
    2
    Castle Museum

    Small archaeology museum in the lower court; it explains what you just walked through

  3. Tomb of Noah
    3
    Tomb of Noah

    A local shrine that tradition gives to Noah, a few minutes north of the castle

  4. Shrine of Ja'far ibn Abi Talib
    4
    Shrine of Ja'far ibn Abi Talib

    The domed shrines of the Mu'tah martyrs at al-Mazar; modest dress

  5. Rabba
    5
    Rabba

    Roman temple ruins by the King's Highway, 15 minutes north

  6. Dhiban
    6
    Dhiban

    The Moabite capital, where the Mesha Stele was found

  7. Lot's Cave
    7
    Lot's Cave

    A Byzantine monastery around a cave, above the Dead Sea plain; steep steps

  8. Museum at the Lowest Place on Earth
    8
    Museum at the Lowest Place on Earth

    Finds from Lot's Cave and the Dead Sea valley; air-conditioned

  9. 9
    Bab adh-Dhra

    A Bronze Age town and vast cemetery on the road down to the Dead Sea

  10. Saladin Statue
    10
    Saladin Statue

    The sultan on horseback at the entrance to the old town

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What is an audio walk?

Tours in Kerak →

A guide in your headphones: open the walk on our site, walk from stop to stop, and at each one your phone tells its story. No guide, no group, and free. This is the first walk in Kerak:

The castle of Oultrejordain

Free walking tours in Kerak

The castle of Oultrejordain

Kerak stands on a ridge between two valleys, a natural fortress that has been fortified since biblical times. The Crusaders built the castle in the 12th century to control the caravan road between Damascus and Egypt, and it became the stage for one of the most famous feuds of the Crusades. This walk climbs from the old town into the castle and down through its halls. About three hours; the castle is cool inside, but its upper courts are fully exposed to the sun.

  1. Saladin Statue · Saladin besieged Kerak twice, in 1183 and 1184, without taking it. His army finally starved the garrison out in 1188, the year after his victory at Hattin.
  2. Al-Omari quarter · The Bible calls this town Kir of Moab and Kir-hareseth. In 2 Kings, the Moabite king Mesha, besieged here by Israel and Judah, sacrificed his eldest son on the wall, and the besiegers withdrew.
  3. Castle gate · Pagan the Butler, lord of the Crusader lordship of Oultrejordain, began the castle in 1142. Its position let the Franks tax, or raid, the caravans and the pilgrim road to Mecca below.
  4. Kerak Castle · Raynald of Châtillon, lord of Kerak from 1176, attacked caravans in a time of truce, and that, more than anything, drove Saladin to war. During the 1183 siege a wedding was under way in the castle; the groom's mother, Stephanie, sent food out to Saladin, and he asked which tower the couple were in so his catapults would spare it.
  5. Castle Museum · After the Crusaders the Mamluks took over the castle and rebuilt much of it; the lower court, where the museum stands, is largely their work, built in the 13th century under Sultan Baybars.
  6. Tomb of Noah · Several places in the Middle East claim the grave of Noah, and Kerak is one of them. The shrine here is a local pilgrimage site, a reminder that the town's history of faith is far older than its castle.

Moab and the canyons

North of Kerak the King's Highway crosses the plateau of ancient Moab, then dives into the great gorge of Wadi Mujib, the biblical Arnon. This route follows the plateau to Dhiban, then drops to the Dead Sea for the wet canyons on its eastern shore. Count a full day and about 180 km; bring swimwear and shoes that can get wet, and check Mujib's opening dates.

  1. Rabba · Rabba was Rabbathmoba of the Roman and Byzantine period, a city of the province of Arabia. The ruins of its Roman temple stand right by the road, which has followed the same line past them for two thousand years.
  2. King's Highway at Mujib · The Arnon was Moab's northern frontier in the Bible, and the Israelites crossed it on the way to Canaan (Numbers 21). The dam in the valley now holds back its winter floods.
  3. Dhiban · In 1868 a missionary was shown a black basalt stone here inscribed in Moabite. It is King Mesha's own account of his revolt against Israel after the death of Omri's son, the longest Iron Age text from the region; the pieces, broken by local villagers, are reassembled in the Louvre.
  4. Wadi Mujib Siq · The Mujib reserve reaches down to about 410 m below sea level, which makes it one of the lowest nature reserves on earth. The Siq trail follows the river upstream between sandstone walls to a waterfall.
  5. Wadi bin Hammad · Hot springs rise along the floor of this canyon, so the stream you walk in is warm all year, and palms, ferns and moss grow on its walls.
  6. Bab adh-Dhra · This was a walled town of the Early Bronze Age, with a cemetery estimated at some 20,000 shaft tombs. Its sudden end has led some scholars to link it with the cities of the plain in Genesis, though nothing proves it.

South to Mu'tah and down to Lot

South of Kerak lie two of the sites that matter most in this region's history of faith: the battlefield where Islam first met Byzantium, and the cave where Lot is said to have sheltered after Sodom. Between them, the road drops from about 1,000 m above sea level to more than 400 below. A half day of driving, about 120 km; the valley is very hot from May to September.

  1. Mu'tah · In 629 a small Muslim army sent by Muhammad met a much larger Byzantine force near Mu'tah. Its three commanders fell one after another, and Khalid ibn al-Walid, who led the survivors home, earned the title Sword of God.
  2. Shrine of Ja'far ibn Abi Talib · Ja'far, the Prophet's cousin and the brother of Ali, was the second commander to fall at Mu'tah. Tradition says he lost both arms holding the banner, and he is remembered as Ja'far al-Tayyar, the one who flies, given wings in their place.
  3. Wadi al-Hasa · Wadi al-Hasa is usually identified with the brook Zered of the Bible, which the Israelites crossed in Deuteronomy 2, and which separated Moab from Edom to the south.
  4. Museum at the Lowest Place on Earth · The museum stands at about 400 m below sea level. Among its finds are Byzantine inscriptions from Lot's Cave and Greek tombstones from the nearby cemetery of Zoara, the town at the southern end of the Dead Sea.
  5. Lot's Cave · Byzantine monks built a church and monastery, Deir Ain Abata, around this cave, which they identified with the cave of Lot and his daughters in Genesis 19. The floor mosaics carry dated inscriptions from the 7th century.
  6. Al-Lisan · The Lisan, Arabic for tongue, once almost cut the Dead Sea in two. As the sea has fallen, the southern basin has dried out, and what water remains there sits in the evaporation ponds of the potash works on both shores.
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Getting to Kerak and getting around

  • Ghor bus stop · Minibuses down to the Dead Sea valley leave from here, when full
  • King's Highway at Mujib · The old road north drops into a canyon several hundred metres deep; allow an hour of bends

Cheap eats in Kerak

Kerak is a working town with cheap, honest food on the street that climbs to the castle. Its pride is mansaf, and Karaki jameed, the dried yoghurt that flavours it, is sold all over Jordan under the town's name. For a quick meal there is falafel, hummus and shawarma; prices are in Jordanian dinars and well below Amman's.

  • Kir Heres · Grills and mezze facing the castle, mains 4-8 JOD
  • Al Fida Restaurant · Shawarma, falafel and hummus, 1-3 JOD
  • Adel Halabi Restaurant · Quick grills and sandwiches, 1-4 JOD
  • Kings Restaurant · Grilled chicken and rice by the castle road, 3-6 JOD
  • Shehab Restaurant · Falafel and tea near the castle gate, 1-2 JOD
  • Towers · Sandwiches and juice by the castle, 1-3 JOD

Museums in Kerak

  • Castle Museum · Moabite to Mamluk finds in the lower court
  • Kerak Castle · Crusader and Mamluk halls; two to three hours
  • Museum at the Lowest Place on Earth · Dead Sea valley finds, 400 m below sea level
  • Dhiban · Mesha's capital; the stele itself is a copy, the original is in Paris
  • Bab adh-Dhra · Bronze Age town and its huge cemetery

Nature and day trips near Kerak

  • Wadi Mujib Siq · Wading and swimming up a gorge to a waterfall
  • Wadi bin Hammad · Warm-water canyon walk among palms
  • Wadi al-Hasa · Long canyon trek for the fit; go with a guide
  • King's Highway at Mujib · Viewpoints over the canyon from the road
  • Al-Lisan · Dead Sea flats and salt; bring water

Holy places in Kerak

  • Shrine of Ja'far ibn Abi Talib · Mu'tah martyrs' shrines at al-Mazar
  • Tomb of Noah · Local shrine claimed for Noah
  • Lot's Cave · The cave of Genesis 19 in Byzantine tradition
  • Al-Omari quarter · The old mosque quarter below the castle
  • Dhiban · Mesha, Chemosh and the Bible on one hill

Where to eat in Kerak

  • Karak Rest House · Terrace beside the castle; come for the view at sunset
  • La Met Al-Karak · Local dishes in the old town
  • Restaurant Mu'ab · Mansaf and grills on the castle road
  • Towers · Evening grills and fresh juice
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Frequently asked questions about Kerak

What is there to see in Kerak?

The top sights in Kerak are Kerak Castle, Castle Museum and Tomb of Noah. The full list on this page has 10 sights, each with a photo and a short note.

How many days do you need in Kerak?

Three to four days are enough to see the best of Kerak without rushing, including at least one walking tour.

Is there a free walking tour in Kerak?

Yes. sleepntrip has 3 free audio walks in Kerak, with no guide and no group: your phone tells the story at every stop. The first one: The castle of Oultrejordain.

How do you get to Kerak and get around?

The main ways are Ghor bus stop and King's Highway at Mujib. Full details are in the transport section on this page.

Where to stay in Kerak, and for how much?

sleepntrip shows only rooms in Kerak that meet nine conditions: a good location, high guest scores, cleanliness, and a price of up to $80 a night for two. Pick your dates and see what is free.

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