Karak Castle remains closed to visitors

AMMAN — Karak Castle is still closed to the public after the security operation that took place last month, an informed source said on Tuesday. 

Four terrorists were killed in a security operation in the southern governorate of Karak after a terror attack killed 10 people, including seven security personnel and three civilians. 

While the Crusader castle itself was not affected, it is still closed due to security measures, Director of Karak Department of Antiquities Khaled Tarawneh told The Jordan Times. 

A security source, who preferred anonymity, said the castle will likely be opened next week and that it is currently closed for “ordinary security measures”. 

The largest Crusader castle in the Levant, with an area of 24,000 square metres, Karak Castle is a “dark maze of stone-vaulted halls and endless passageways”, according to the Jordan Tourism Board’s (JTB) website. 

The Crusader castle’s best-preserved passageways are underground.

In the Castle Plaza, 19th century Ottoman administrative buildings have been redesigned to house a tourist centre, with restaurants, a crafts centre and other facilities grouped around the central plaza, the website said. 

While the castle essentially dates back to the 12th century, Karak has been a fortress since Biblical times. 

Many Jordanian Christian families come from Karak, and some of them trace their origins back to the Byzantines, the JTB said.