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The castle of Shobak, the "royal mountain" Montreal or Mons Regalis as it used to be called, was the first Crusader fortress in a line of strongholds in Oultrejourdain, the territory East of the river Jordan. Baldwin I King of Jerusalem ordered its construction in 1115 to control the caravan routes between Syria and Egypt.
Perched on a conical hilltop, it had a well shaft inside that could be accessed via 375 steps down to the water vein, an unparalleled advantage during a siege. In fact, Montreal managed to hold out longer (until May 1189) against Saladin's attacks than the Crusader's main castle Kerak.
Shobak Castle
via King's Highway
approx. 125 km south of Kerak,
50 km south of Tafilah
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