Shobak Castle

The fortress remained in Ayyubid hands for 70 years. They fortified the walls, and embellished the complex with carved inscriptions, palatial quarters and gardens. From 1262 on, the Mamelukes made Shobak their administrative center in South Jordan. Later modifications and also damages are related to the military actions of the Ottomans (19th century) and the settlement of a dozen families until modem times.

Nevertheless the remaining ruins are still impressive, and the castle and its surroundings are definitely "one of the most pristine stretches of the Jordanian landscape," in the words of architect and artist Ammar Khammash. As a visitor one can enjoy the ruins in visual dialogue with the astounding panoramic views, "windows whistling in the wind, partially collapsed openings squeezing the outside glare to draw shapes of sun on flooring stones, and rooms where the end wall has fallen in the deep valley below."