Kerak Castle is famous as being one of the most splendid of the Crusader castles and construction began in the 1130s. It lies south of Amman on the King’s Highway – a crucial trade route linking Damascus with Egypt and Mecca, and at an elevation of 1000m it commands fantastic views of the Dead Sea. On three sides there is a vertiginous cliff that greatly aided defence.

The fortress is typically Crusader in style, with dimly lit stone-vaulted rooms and corridors leading into each other through heavy arches and doorways. Taking a tour of the interior it is easy to imagine what life would have been like when the castle was under siege.