Crusader Castle: The Desert Fortress of Kerak

Michael S Fulton

mar 2024 · Pen and Sword Military

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This is the ultimate history and guide to Kerak, one of the greatest crusader castles, tracing the architectural history of the castle over the course of 800 years.

The formidable strongholds built by the crusaders are among the most iconic castles of the Middle Ages. These mighty structures offer fascinating insights into the lives of those who built and occupied them, and the role they played in the region’s deep history of conflict. The castle of Kerak, in modern Jordan, is one of the largest, most imposing and best preserved of them all, and Michael Fulton’s detailed, authoritative and highly illustrated account is the ideal guide to it. His close analysis of the fabric of this monumental building, and his description of the centuries of conflict associated with it, make absorbing reading. He takes the reader through the early military history of the castle – from the time it was constructed in the 1140s by Pagan the Butler, through the provocative actions of Reynald of Châtillon and Saladin’s capture of the castle in 1188. He also recounts its later history under Muslim rule, when the castle served as a treasury for the Ayyubid and Mamluk sultans of Egypt. Falling into decline under the Ottomans, Kerak has since regained its importance as a tourist attraction.

A part-by-part examination of the castle and surviving elements of the adjoining medieval town allows readers to appreciate the different stages in the development of this incredible structure and to visualize how it evolved and functioned at different points in time. The detailed architectural guide will be an essential reference for readers who have the opportunity to visit the castle and for those who are keen to gain the best possible understanding of it without going to the site.

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Dr Michael S. Fulton is a medieval historian and archaeologist with a special interest in fortifications, siege warfare and the crusades. He is a visiting scholar with the History Department at the University of British Columbia. He has published many articles and papers on aspects of mechanical artillery, crusader castles, siege tactics and defences as well as the book Artillery in the Era of the Crusades.