Asia · Jordan · Ajloun
Ajloun Castle
The story
History of Ajloun Castle
A compact hilltop stronghold built by Saladin's general, using a chain of hillside lookouts to guard the road to Damascus.
Jordan · Ajloun · Ayyubid
- Built
- from 1184
- Era
- Medieval
- Style
- Ayyubid
- Country
- Jordan
- Region
- Ajloun
- UNESCO
- —
- Coordinates
- 32.325, 35.727
In depth
The fuller history
The original castle had four corner towers connected by curtain walls and a double gate. Arrow slits were incorporated in the thick walls and it was surrounded by a moat averaging 16 meters (about 52 feet) in width and 12–15 meters (about 40–50 feet) in depth.
After Usama's death, the castle was enlarged in AD 1214–1215 by Aibak ibn Abdullah, the Mamluk governor. He added a new tower in the southeast corner and built the gate. The castle lost its military importance after the fall of Karak in AD 1187 to the Ayyubids. In the middle of the 13th century AD, the castle was conceded to Yousef ibn Ayoub, emir of Aleppo and Damascus, who restored the northeastern tower and used the castle as an administrative center. In 1260 AD, the Mongols destroyed sections of the castle, including its battlements.
Two major destructive earthquakes struck the castle in 1837 and 1927. Recently, the Department of Antiquities of Jordan has sponsored a program of restoration and consolidation of the walls and has rebuilt the bridge over the fosse.
Key dates
- 1184It was rebuilt as a castle in 1184 by Izz al-Din Usama, a general in the army of Saladin.
- 1260In 1260 AD, the Mongols destroyed sections of the castle, including its battlements.
- 1812In 1812, the Swiss traveler Johann Ludwig Burckhardt found the castle inhabited by around forty people.
Historical summary drawn from Wikipedia. Read the full article.
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