A slightly wider view of the castle from the adjoining hill of al-Thallaja. The road runs down the valley of Wadi Karak towards the Dead Sea - it's obvious here why the position of Karak was of such strategic importance. Hugh Kennedy's excellent book "Crusader Castles" (CUP 1994) gives a detailed account of the sieges at karak, including an interesting example of Saladin's legendary chivalry;
"When [Saladin] approached, a wedding was being celebrated between the King of Jerusalem's sister Isabel and Humphrey IV of Toron, son of Etienette de Milly. Indeed, along with the garrison and the other refugees, there were many musicians and entertainers who had come for the party in the castle. Etiennette sent messengers to Saladin, reminding him how, when he was a prisoner in the castle, he had held her as a child in her arms. Touched by this, he enquired which tower the wedding party was in and ordered his men not to bombard it."