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Crak de Montréal – Montreal Castle
High on a rock in Jordan, the ruins of a Crusader-built fortress sit on the eastern flank of the Holy Lands, overlooking historical trading and pilgrimage routes between Egypt and Syria.
A Crusader castle? It didn’t feel real to me; it was as if the pictures in an old children’s storybook had come to life.
My visit to Shobak Montreal Castle – now known as Qal’at ash-Shawbak in Arabic (the nomenclature and spellings vary wildly) – caused me to take a deep-dive back into my vinyl collection to find my copy of Chris de Burgh’s Crusader (1979). While that set the mood, I still needed internet searches to flesh-out my scant knowledge of the history.
The Crusades were essentially religious wars focused on holy sites considered sacred by both Christians and Muslims. Jerusalem was under Muslim rule for hundreds of years, but when the Arabic Fatimid Caliphate lost control of the city to the expanding Oghuz Turkic Seljuq Dynasty in 1073, Christian pilgrims to the city started reported increased difficulties, and the Byzantium Eastern Roman Empire felt under threat.
Byzantine Emperor Alexios I requested military support from Western Christians in 1095. Pope Urban II, head of the Catholic Church responded by advocating an armed ‘pilgrimage’ to Jerusalem, and the First Crusade (1096–1099) began. By 1099, the Kingdom of Jerusalem, a Crusader state was declared, and was under Christian control.
Baldwin I was one of the most successful commanders of the First Crusade and the second Christian ruler of Jerusalem. Part of his strength was in his diplomatic skills, but he also consolidated and expanded his domain by building and/or strengthening a number of fortresses. These included Montreal Castle, which he built on a rocky, conical mountain near Shobak.
Finished in 1115, the castle secured Christian control of the caravan routes between Syria and Egypt until it fell to Ayyubid Sultan Saladin (Salah al-Din) in 1189 – after almost two years of siege. The Ayyubid Sultans held the fortress until it was stormed by the Mamluk Sultan Baybars in 1261.
The castle is mostly in ruins, which to my mind adds to its charm and sense of history. Remains of a curtain wall and two chapels date to the Crusaders. The Mamluks renovated and decorated towers and walls around the 14th century, and carved inscriptions can be seen on these today.
The castle is just 30 km (19 mi) north of Wadi Musa where we had spent a couple of days rambling around Petra, so the morning sun was straight into our eyes from the east when we arrived, ready to explore a very different period in Jordanian history.
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The Old King’s Highway
The highway we are on follows the principal caravan route between Syria and Egypt and has been in use since time immemorial. The castle on the rock commands a view in all directions. It was originally named Mont Real or Mons Regalis (Royal Mountain) in honor of the King of Jerusalem Baldwin I and his contribution to its construction.
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Hills and Valleys
Known as Qal’at ash-Shawbak in Arabic, the ancient fortress sits at the eastern side of the Arabah Valley.
Visitors Centre
The closer we are, the higher the castle looks. It sits at 1330 m (4364 ft) above sea level – but I’m not sure how far the valley drops.
Textures
This dry and rocky terrain lacks a reliable source of water, so somehow the builders sank a well shaft down to a water vein inside the rock. Accessed by 375 steps, this allowed the castle defenders to retrieve water without being exposed to attack, and was one of the reasons it held out against siege longer than the nearby castle of Kerak.
Once were Houses
Stone cottages blend into the hillside.
Striated Hills and Ruins
Castle Courtyard
Local handicrafts are on display in the outer courtyard.
The Landscape Below
The dry land east of the River Jordan stretches out in all directions.
Square Tower
The Arabic inscription on this tower built by the Mamluks refers to Sultan Husam al-Din Lajin (1297-1298).
Fallen Arches Above
The delicate remains of vaulted arches are quite beautiful.
Arched Entry
The ruins are an interesting mix of smoothly carved bricks and rough hewn stones, …
Bricks and Rubble
… and they stretch out further than I first expected.
Saladin’s Soldier
Men around the site are dressed as Muslim soldiers of the period.
Portrait of a Medieval Soldier
People in a Tunnel
Tunnel towards the Light
On the Ruined Walls
Scorpion in the Sand
Three of Jordan’s fourteen species of scorpions are venomous; I stayed well clear of this one!
Arches in the Crusader’s Church
Break Time
Back at one of the arches, a soldier takes a break from his hot helmet.
Looking out of the Dark
Another tunnel leads into a small room …
The Baths
… that has been partly reconstructed, and once contained the baths.
Wadi Dana
We leave the castle, and drive a half hour north to the Dana Visitor Center, where we can once again look back over that stark but beautiful landscape.
The rule of the Ottomans continued over the castle until the Arab Revolt of 1916, when local sheikhs took control. Until the 1950s, the castle was the private residence of a few local families.
Although various international and interdepartmental agencies have made plans for the restoration of the buildings, little has been accomplished.
I think I like it better that way!
Photos: 17October2019
