Ajloun castle

The Ajloun castle is a fortress built on the site of an older monastery in 1184-85 by Izz al-Din Usama, a commander of Saladin, to protect the region from crusader attacks. Over the centuries the castle was expanded, ransacked by the Mongols, rebuilt and suffered earthquake damage in 1837 and 1927. The castle has been restaurated recently and is very interesting from an architectural point of view. From the castle top visitors enjoy views over the Jordan river valley.