The King's Highway is the name given to the modern incarnation of the ancient route which travels almost the entire length of Jordan from Amman in the north to Petra in the south. Giants throughout history have trodden its path from Moses through the great Roman Emperors to Richard the Lionheart. Not surprisingly it is therefore the site of many historical monuments and also not just a few natural ones including Jordan's 'Grand Canyon'.
The ancient crusader castle of Karak dominates the modern town of the same name. It is probably the best preserved of a string of crusader castles in Jordan which continues right up to the famous Crac Des Chevaliers in Syria. It was built by King Baldwin 1 of Jerusalem in 1142, but was made famous later as the stronghold of a certain Renauld de Chatillon who was famous for torturing people and then throwing them over the battlements to their death. He met a sticky end when the Muslim armies subsequently lay siege to the fort in 1183.
