It was Friday, the weekend holiday for the Muslims. At Wahadat Station in Amman, buses were running on holiday schedule. At last we found a bus bounded to Karak Castle. Our goal of the day was to make a journey along the famous King's Highway from Amman south to Wadi Musa, the base for our Petra visit in the next two days. It was a two hour drive from Amman to the town of Karak. When we got off the bus, the driver told us that there would not be any public transportation from Karak to Tafila on Fridays. Our plan was to visit Karak Castle, take a bus to Tafila, and then hiring a taxi onwards to Shobak and Wadi Musa. At last, we settled with a taxi driver for 40 Jordanian Dinar, taking us uphill to Karak Castle, and then to Shobak Castle and Wadi Musa.
Karak Castle was built in the 12th century by the Crusaders. It is one of the largest castles in the region. Despite the grand scale, Karak has a simpler design and rougher craftsmanship than the Krak des Chevaliers. The view of the castle from the village was spectacular, but the ruin itself, to me, was again less impressive than that of Krak des Chevaliers. Karak Castle has a nice little museum. I enjoyed reading a little about the history of the castle, the Crusades and the Muslim conqueror Saladin.
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