Leaving Jerash, we traveled 22 km west through beautiful pine forests and olive groves in the Ajlon Valley. It is a place of biblical significance, as it was here that God helped Joshua defended the Israelites by making the sun and moon stand still for 24 hours until the nation avenged itself against its' enemies, according to Joshua 10.

Ajlun Castle, also known as "Qala‘at ar-Rabad" sits high on a forested, remote hill in the Ajlon Valley. It is the only purely Arab Castle in all of Jordan.

One of Saladin's nephews 'Izz ad-Din Urama bin Munqidh built this small fortress to protect Arabs from Crusader attacks in 1184. Perched on the summit of Jabal Beni ‘Awf, the Jordan Valley and three wadis leading up to the hill could be observed. This strategic location also allowed messages to be transmitted by beacon and pigeon post all the way to Cairo in less than a day.

Four corner towers with narrow arrow slits within the thick walls were surrounded by a 16 meter moat spanned by a moveable bridge. Another tower was erected and a new gate decorated with bird reliefs was added in 1214. This stately Islamic castle successfully withstood Crusader attacks, but was nearly destroyed when Mongols captured it in 1260.

During the Ottoman Period, the Prince of Lebanon sent fifty soldiers to the castle to fight against Ahmad ibn Tarbay. By 1812, when Swiss traveler Burkhardt (who discovered Petra) visited Aljun, forty people inhabited the fortress.

Two earthquakes damaged the castle in 1837 and 1927. However, the Department of Antiquities restored it in 60s and rebuilt the bridge over the moat.

Visiting the castle didn't take very long as it is fairly small. We crossed the wooden bridge over the dry moat to enter the gate leading us inside the stone walls. Stairs, walls and ceilings were in good condition. Passageways were well lit on this sunny day, but imagine could be pretty scary at night or in stormy weather, as tiny little lights were suspended from arched stone ceilings along the long passageways.

One huge room styled with Islamic arched windows and doorways apparently is used now as an art studio, as we saw paintings on the walls and art supplies in the corner. That day, the room was full of Arabian children visiting as a group. Oddly enough, it was the only castle we visited in Jordan that had visitors besides ourselves. Seemed very strange as this castle is the most remote and unvisited in all of Jordan!

The vantage point from the open towers was spectacular - with sweeping views of the Jordan Valley and three wadis leading up to the hill.

Ajlun Castle is open from 8am-7pm (5pm in the winter) and costs JD1 per person.