Tourist Places Near Petra, Jordan

Dana Biosphere Reserve

Dana Biosphere Reserve is less than an hour’s drive from Petra. It is located in and around the town of Dana. It was founded in 1989.

Mountains and Valleys

Dana Biosphere Reserve is Jordan’s largest nature Reserve, spread on 308 km . It has an altitude of 1,500 meters (4,900ft.) on the Qadisiyah plateau and drops to low-lying desert of Wadi Araba. “Hence it has four different types of bio-geographical zones: Mediterranean, Irano-Turanian, Saharo-Arabian, Sudanian penetration”(Wikipedia). 

Limestone Rocks 

These zones stretch from an area of high altitude  and low altitude—100 meter below sea level and 1,500 meters above sea level. Therefore, there are scorching sand dunes in the west, cool mountain tops in the east, sweltering summers and snowy winters. Geological features also vary. There are limestone rocks as well as sandstone and granite. The scenic beauty is because of the mountains and valleys -- Jabal and Wadi. The mountains start from the Great Rift Valley and falls to the desert of Wadi Araba.

Towering Mountains

Dana Reserve

The Reserve is home to hundreds of plant species ,birds, reptiles and  mammals. There are 780 plant species  ,190 bird species ,37 mammal species and 36 reptile species recorded in the reserve .25 endangered species which include the sand cat, the Syrian wolf, the lesser kestrel and the spiny-tailed lizard are found here. (source: Wild Jordan).

Dana Village

The historical Dana village overlooks the scenic Wadi Dana and is two-and-a-half hours’ drive from the city of Amman. The first occupants settled there in 4000 B.C. Since the land was fertile and there was abundance of water, there were many human settlements through the ages. Archaeological finds have indicated the habitation of Paleolithic, Egyptians, Nabataeans and Romans. At present the village is inhabited by Ata'ta tribe whose ancestors settled there 400 years ago, during the Ottoman period.

The Sunset

The Sun on its Last Legs

Another breathtaking feature is to watch the sunset at Dana from the Sunset Point. People drive here just to watch the sunset. When we reached there, the sun was in its last legs. The huge craggy mountains with ragged protuberances, loomed large on the horizon. On the other side were  cavernous gulches. In between lay expansive valleys. All were glistening in the mellow sunbeam. The sun was positioned as a poached egg on the sky with its soft rays trickling down on the hills, valleys, gorges and canyons and embroidering the mountain crests with pale yellow light. The sunlight gathered on the projecting angles of the mountains. It did not plunge on the noiseless hills and intercolline valleys with a mad fury but is showered on the grass and dingles  in a melodious movement. The wind was fast losing its warmth and as the sun set it became very cold. The long mountain chain, gorges and valleys looked like shadows in the pale, wintry, grey light. A tea seller was selling tea for one Jordanian dinar and he was making it in the traditional way: in an aluminum kettle put on a mobile Chula ( mud stove).   

Shadowy Hills in the Grey Light

Hiking Activity

Hiking is very popular here and it has become a major tourist activity.

The route Dana to Petra was named by National Geographic channel as one of the fifteen best hikes in the world.

The route is thus:

1)Dana to Wadi Malaga.

2)Wadi Malaga to Ras Al-Feid.

3)Ras Al-Feid to Little Petra.

4)Little Petra to Petra. 

The length is 84.5 km. (Source: Jordan Trail)

 

Montreal in Jordan

Shoubak castle

Shoubak/Shobak is situated 35 km. away from the historical and archaeological wonder, Petra. It is just a 40-minutes’ drive. The earliest inhabitants of Shoubak were Edomites. Later, the Nabataeans became its settlers.  The climate is extreme :freezing winters  due to high elevation and hot dry summers because it is located at the borders of Arabian desert.

Agriculture is the main source of income and Shoubak is known for olives, vegetables and fruit farms, mainly apple farms. It is also famous for honey bee farms.

Shoubak/Shobak is firmly on the tourist map because of its early 12^th century crusader castle, Montreal: a lonesome castle on a hill with the desolate, rugged valley as its companion.

 Crusades

The crusades were a series of religious wars fought between 1096 to 1271, which were “initiated, supported and sometimes directed by the Latin Church in the medieval period"  and its objective was to recover “Holy land from Islamic rules.”(Source: Wikipedia). Crusader castles were used to guard important trade routes. The castles were built in such a way so as to keep a close watch on incoming visitors and invaders.

Montreal Castle

Montreal Castle 
Photo: Bernard Gagnon, en.wikipedia.org

The castle played an important role during crusades. It is located along the famous King’s Highway. King Baldwin named it Krak de Montreal (Latin: Mons Regalis). It was known to crusaders as Mont Real which means fortress of the Royal Mount. According to legends, the king participated in the process of building this castle, so the first fortification was created within 18 days and was named Montreal (Mont-Royal) which is  the king’s mountain. This castle is said to be the first outpost of the kingdom of Jerusalem in the crusader district of Oultrejordain. It is popularly known as Shobak/Shoubak castle because of the nearby town Shoubak and its surrounding group of ten villages. The castle was inhabited till 1950.  

Oultrejordain

Oultrejordain (beyond the Jordan in old French) is also called Lordship of Montreal. In Latin it is referred to as Transjordan. It indicated  the territory to the east of Jordan River. Oultrejordain was the name used during the Crusades for an area which was called Edom and Moab in ancient times. It covered territory which later became part of the Emirates of Jordan and the modern country of Jordan.  

History of Montreal Castle

In ancient times, important trade routes were Dead Sea to Araba/Arava Valley in Israel and from there to Aqaba on the Red Sea. Petra, Aqaba and Shoubak formed a triangle that lay on the cross road between Syria, Saudi Arabia and Egypt.

King Baldwin I of Jerusalem invaded this area in 1100,1107 and 1112 and finally built Montreal in 1115. He built the Montreal castle in Shoubak on top of a hill, thus cutting the connection between Egypt and Syria; and controlling the Muslim caravan routes which provided enormous revenue to the kingdom. The king collected taxes not only from the merchants but even from the pilgrims travelling to Mecca and Medina through that route.   

The castle was controlled by the Royal family of Jerusalem till 1142. At its height 6000 Christians inhabited it. In 1142 ,King Fulk built the Castle of Kerak (Crac des Moabites)  and it replaced the importance of Montreal castle as the Crusader bastion in that strategic area. Montreal Castle became a part of the Lordship of Oultrejordain. When the center of Transjordan moved to the bigger Kerak castle, Montreal Crusader Castle passed on to Raynald of Chatillon who became Lord of Transjordan in 1170.Like his predecessors he used the castle for defense purposes and to collect taxes from wealthy merchants who passed through the caravan route. But he became ambitious. He ordered ships to  be built and got them transported over land to the Red Sea with the aim of attacking Mecca through the Red Sea. When Saladin/Salah ad-Din, the first Sultan of Egypt and Syria and the founder of Ayyubid Dynasty came to know of this plan, he retaliated. He first captured Jerusalem. Then he set his sights on Montreal Castle. Since it was located on the tip of a conical hill his troops could not use search engines. Eventually, after two years he succeeded in capturing it.

In 1261 the castle was conquered by Sultan Baybars of the Mamluk Dynasty, who was the fourth Sultan of Egypt.

Importance of the site

Unique high elevation.

Shoubak itself is one of the highest elevation place (above sea level) in Jordan. The hills have steep sides and are surrounded naturally by valleys. Montreal Castle is further located higher up  on a round hilltop site. The castle is situated 1330 m above mean sea level which gave it a strategic importance. Not only was it impregnable but it gave a wide view . Whosoever travelled on the trade route could easily be spotted from the castle and therefore taxed. This made it easier for the owners of the castle to guard the caravan route from Egypt to Jerusalem.

Fertile plain

Just as the height was used for defense purposes, so the fertile valley was used for agricultural purposes. The surrounding landscape is dry and rough but springs gushed out from the valleys . The land is good for agriculture since ancient times. In the middle ages it grew corn, olives, vines, sugar and apricots. Salt is collected from the Dead sea.

Description of Montreal

Visitor Center 
Photo: Bernard Gagnon en.wikipedia.org

The castle is in a dilapidated state. There are remains of arches , a dungeon, corridors, tunnels, watch tower, core stones and fragments of buildings. There are two churches and beneath one church there are catacombs. Within the church there are Islamic tablets, Christian carvings and throne of Sultan Saladin.

There was water problem on the hilltop but the plains had natural springs. The problem was solved by constructing a tunnel in the interior of the castle, along the side of the hill. This tunnel was then connected to two cisterns which were fed by springs of fresh water. So people inside the castle went down the tunnel to fetch water by remaining unseen to the attackers. This tunnel still exists . 375 steps cut in the deep rock lead to the ancient well. The well ensured that the castle would have access to adequate supply of fresh water during a siege. This spring not only supplies water to the area but is also the main water supply  source to the surrounding villages. 

The castle is imposing when seen from a hill. From the valley it looks like a mass of ruins but very beautiful: like the illustration of a fairy tale castle in children’s story books.       

 Fairy Tale Castle at Dusk

Photographs: Bulbul Sur

Labels: Dana Biosphere Reserve, Sunset Point at Dana, Montreal Castle, Crusades, Shoubak, Tunnel in the Castle.