When travelling from Kerak to Madaba the taxi driver threw in a pleasant surprise by taking me to the castle of Shobeq (Shaubak). It was built in 1115 on the orders of Balduin I, King of Jerusalem after the Crusaders had the upper hand at the Battle of Tell Danit, as a central fortress in Oultrejourdain (the Land Across the Jordan). It sits on a hill that had not been lived on before and is also known as Montreal or Mons Re(g)alis, King’s Hill. My visit was the shortest I ever paid to a castle, we had to move on shortly. I think these few pictures give a decent impression of the fortress, that looks impressive from afar, but quickly gives away its actual condition once you enter its gates. The Muslim geographer and culture historian Yakut claimed building the fortress blocked the inroad to Egypt. It later became part of a the Dead and the Red Sea, after in 1142 Kerak was built.
Using View Map you may locate where I took the pictures.
If you like castles, see my collection of pictures of major castles in Turkey, Syria and now Jordan.