Description of the attraction
Ajlun Castle, located on the top of the mountain, was built in 1184 by one of Saladin's generals to guard the iron mines and protect Ajlun from the attacks of the Franks. Ajloun Castle towered over the three main routes to the Jordan Valley and protected the trade routes between Jordan and Syria. It was an important link in a chain of defenses designed to defend against the Crusaders, who for decades tried unsuccessfully to capture the castle and the neighboring village.
Initially, the castle had four towers with loopholes in thick walls and loopholes for archers and was surrounded by a moat 16 meters wide and 15 meters deep.
In 1215, the Mamluk governor, Aybak ibn Abdullah, expanded the castle by adding another tower on the southeast corner and erecting a bridge decorated with dove figurines, which can still be seen today.
In the XII century. the castle was surrendered to the ruler of Aleppo and Damascus, Salah ad-Din Yusuf ibn Ayyub. Under him, the north-east tower was restored. In 1260, work on the reconstruction of the castle was interrupted, and it fell under the onslaught of the Mongols. Soon, however, the Mamluk Sultan Baybars conquered the fortress and rebuilt it.
