Publication Date
579 - 658 / 1184- 1260
Type
Other
Language
Undetermined
Digital
Yes
Manuscript
No
Library
Museum With No Frontiers
Record ID
monument;ISL;jo;Mon01;16;ar
Library Location
It is located 76 km northwest of Amman, Ajloun, Jordan
Date
579 - 658 / 1184- 1260
Notes
Ajlun Castle, which sits on the top of a high mountain, was built in the year 579 / AD 1184 by Izz al-Din Usama, one of Saladin’s commanders. The purpose of its construction was to monitor the movements of the Franks in Kawkab al-Hawa Castle, which was built opposite it on the western side of the Jordan Valley, and to secure trade routes between Syria and Egypt, in addition to protecting the iron mines in Mount Ajloun itself. The castle was rebuilt and expanded more than once, and therefore provides us with a good example of military architecture of the 6th and 7th / 12th and 13th centuries - the period of conflict with the Franks. The castle was originally square-shaped, with a square tower at each corner, and narrow openings for shooting arrows in its walls. At this stage, entry to the castle was through a gate opened in the eastern wall. The castle was expanded in AH 610 / AD 1214 by adding a thick wall extending between the northern and eastern towers. With this expansion, the entrance moved to the intersection of the thick wall and the eastern tower. In 676 / 1260, a new tower was added to connect the northern tower with the two new towers. During this period, the southern wall was rebuilt and two towers were added to it (the southern tower and the eastern tower), and the entrance was moved to the corner of the new eastern tower. The castle was used in the Ottoman era as a residence for soldiers, and at the beginning of the 11th / 17th century it became an important base for Emir Fakhr al-Din al-Ma'ani.
Sample Text
Mohammad Najjar “Ajloun Castle” in Discover Islamic Art. Museum Without Borders, 2026. 2026. https://islamicart.museumwnf.org/database_item.php?id=monument;ISL;jo;Mon01;16;ar
