The crusader castle at Karak (also spelt Kerak) was begun in 1142 by Paganus Pincerna, Lord of Oultrejourain. Although of fairly primitive construction compared with the Crac des Chevaliers, the builders of Karak made the most of its position on a triangular ridge which dominates a key route down to the Dead Sea. Perhaps the most impressive feature of their work is the magnificent steeply sloping glacis made of closely fitted smooth stones. As with the similar glacis at the Crac, climbing this would have been incredibly difficult for would-be attackers.
This photograph shows the southern end of the castle, its weakest point because of the proximity of another hill (now the suburb of al-Thallaja, from where the pic was taken). The massive stone keep at this end is a Mameluke construction, replacing the original defenses which were damaged when Saladin beseiged the castle in 1184.