KERAK
Kerak,
north wall overlooking the city.
Photo
credits: Marielle Gouton
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Particularly
known for its castle, which it inherited from the time of the Crusades, the
city of Kerak [ 1 ] . has not gone through the history of Jordan . Its
strategic location - a triangular plateau at an altitude of about 1,000 meters
located a few kilometers east of the Dead Sea, has made it an important
political and historical site, from the time of the Crusades and at least until
the fall of the Mamluks (early 16th century). And even if, from the Ottoman
Empire to today, the city has had a less glorious destiny, the thousand years
of history (medieval, modern and contemporary) of Kerak allow to highlight some
major issues that the region has could be confronted.
Before the
Crusades
If it is
at the time of the Crusades that Kerak asserts itself as a particularly
important site, it is not unknown for all that. The region seems to have been
occupied since the Chalcolithic period. The name of Kerak seems to be inherited
from the Moabites (who called him "Qir") and Aramaics
("Karkha"). During the Roman and Byzantine periods, the region
sometimes functions as an administrative center, or even beats its own
currency. At the end of the Byzantine Empire and during the Islamic period, the
city is surrounded by a wall fortified.
At the
time of the Crusaders: a particularly strategic site and a castle difficult to
take
The
Crusaders The site, as we know it today, seems to have been built under
Foulques V of Anjou, king of Jerusalem, who seeks to consolidate the territory
conquered during the expansionist period of Baldwin I, first king of Jerusalem:
it is a question of protecting the kingdom's lines of communication, and of
being able to easily encircle and neutralize all rebellion in the Frankish
territories. From its beginnings, the cross city of Kerak is designed for
purely geopolitical purposes.
It was in
1142 that Payen Le Bouteiller, lord of Outre-Jourdain from 1126 to 1148, began
the construction of the castle of Kerak to transfer his power (which was
previously concentrated in Montreal Krak - today Chawbak) . This new site gives
direct access to the Dead Sea and then to the West Bank, where is the holy city
of Jerusalem, then in possession of the Crusaders. It allows a wide control
over the entire region.
The
construction of the castle lasts from 1142 until around 1160, under the reign
of Philippe de Milly. This is an impressive fortification (although simple)
because it has many natural advantages and seems difficult to take. The castle
is built on a triangular plateau, and its walls follow all along a steep ridge.
On the north side of the castle is the entrance, which gives access to the town
of Kerak: a deep ditch of about thirty meters separated the city from the
castle, but it has been filled since. The other three sides (South, East and
West) are quite difficult to reach because of the steep slopes. The Crusader's
defenses can be seen particularly well on the east side of the castle, whose
wall was reinforced by at least three towers and overhanging a glacis [ 2 ] .
JPEG -
33.2 kb
View of
the ruins of Kerak.
Photo
credits: Marielle Gouton
The most
notable figure related to the history of Kerak is undoubtedly Renaud de
Chatillon, who married in 1176 Etiennette de Milly, the "lady of the
Crac", heiress of the lord of Jordan Philippe de Milly. Thus, in 1177,
seigniory and Kerak enter into his possession. However, Renaud de Chatillon is
known to have particularly provoked the Muslims, leading expeditions on the Red
Sea or against Mecca. Kerak thus becomes a prime target for Muslims: the castle
will be besieged three times in the 1180s. The first time, in October 1183,
Saladin besieged the castle, but in December, the royal army of Jerusalem
intervened to defend Kerak, forcing the attackers to retreat. In July 1184, the
Muslims undertook a new siege, which failed again because the defenders were
able to build effective siege engines during the winter: Saladin, who then
decided to concentrate his army on the north side of the castle, must to give
up again because the royal army threatens again to come to the aid of Renaud de
Chatillon. The last siege, led by the nephew of Saladin, Sa'd al-Din, in March
1188, will this time be successful: indeed, although the defense holds, the
heavy defeat of the royal army in Hattin in 1187 (where Renaud de Chatillon is
killed) leaves no hope for Kerak's soldiers to be rescued; the famine finally
forced them to capitulate in October-November 1188, and legend has it that the
Muslims would have left the vanquished free, so much had they shown courage and
bravery. So, after the capitulation of the Crusaders, Kerak becomes Ayyubid.
The
Ayyubids In 1192, the territories of Egypt and Syria are divided between
members of the Ayyubid family of Saladin. The latter's brother, Al-'Adil, receives
part of the current Jordanian territory, and where Kerak plays an important
economic and strategic role. Thus, the city hosts a garrison, and becomes a
place of storage (treasure for example).
The
strategic importance of Kerak can be seen particularly well in 1218-1219 when,
following the capture of the Egyptian port of Damietta by the Crusaders [ 3 ] ,
the Ayyubids offer to exchange the port of Damietta for a truce of thirty years
and the former territories of the Latin Kingdom (including Jerusalem), with the
exception of the castles of Kerak and Chawbak: now, the Crusaders refuse the
offer, especially because Kerak is not returned to them. And the Muslims, for
their part, do not want to see the castle fall into the hands of their enemies,
because that would mean that Syria and Egypt would be separated again by
Jordan.
During the
Ayyubid period, Kerak was first under the control of Damascus, but under
ad-Nasir Da'ud, the city became an almost autonomous principality. Even if it
enjoys a favorable economic situation, it can not compete with the power of
Damascus or Cairo. And it is without playing any particular role that it
crosses, like the rest of the region, the upheavals experienced by the Ayyubids
between 1249 and 1263, when Kerak is taken by the Mamluk Sultan Baybars.
Kerak
within the Mamluk Sultanate
During the
Mamluk period, and particularly at the instigation of Sultan Baybars, Kerak
played a particularly important role in the fight against the Crusaders: from
1263, the Sultan conducted a vast military campaign to retake or destroy the
sites crossed. He is also seeking to secure the pilgrimage route to southern
Jordan, with Kerak being an important gateway to Mecca. In 1276, Baybars went
there to settle a beginning of rebellion.
Kerak also
holds some importance: the Mamluk treasure chamber and warehouse of yields and
harvests, it also serves as a "golden" prison for disgraced power.
If the
city subsequently loses some of its importance (because it is progressively
marginalized from Syrian regions in relation to Syrian political life), it is
nevertheless important in the strategies of social and political rise: for
example, many nayebs [ 4 ] were first in power in Kerak, and so were able to
gain high rank in Syria or Egypt.
It should
be noted, finally, that the Kerak tribes are gaining an increasingly important
political role under the Mamluks, as the sultans have forged strong ties with
them (from the reign of An-Nasir Muhammad in the early fourteenth century) and
trust them to protect Kerak Castle.
The
Ottoman period: a city left to itself
Following
the collapse of Mamluk power in the early 16th century, and the arrival of the
Ottomans, Kerak is increasingly on the margins of the new empire. In this
respect, the route of the pilgrimage to Mecca is deviated: it no longer passes
through Kerak, but further east, by what will later become the Hijaz railroad.
This diminishes the importance of this geographical area, and explains that
Kerak was able to experience a certain independence from the middle of the 16th
century to 1893.
Indeed, at
the end of the reign of Suleiman the Magnificent (1494-1566), the powerful
Tamimiyya tribe in Kerak rebels against the Ottoman power. After the failure of
the negotiations undertaken by the Ottomans, the city is left to itself for a
long time; indeed, if some punitive expeditions are to be noted in 1678-1679
and 1710-1711, the Ottomans do not take again the power.
Thus,
until 1893, the story of Kerak is essentially a tribal story and infighting for
power. From the end of the seventeenth century, the city is dominated by the
Majali merchant family, which combines with different tribes (Bani Sakhr, Bani
Hamida and Hijaya) to better impose on others (the 'Amr in particular) , before
alienating his allies and chasing them from the region one after the other.
These rivalries for political power and these games of very complex temporary
alliances lead to a violent period in the second half of the eighteenth
century.
These
political conditions finally help the Ottomans to regain power. In fact, in
1892, one of the sons of the Majali chief was killed by the Bani Sakhr: the
Majali wanted to retaliate, taking advantage of the fact that the Bani Sakhr
were attacked by another tribe (Ruwala, Syrian desert); but the Bani Sakhr,
feeling trapped, call the Ottomans to rescue them. Thus, the latter impose
themselves in the region: they set up in particular an administration, schools,
a military hospital, a garrison of 2,000 men and 200 riders.
Nevertheless,
tribes continue to challenge sporadically the central power: for example, in
1910, they revolt against taxation, conscription and restrictions to use
firearms. This rebellion failed, but soon became an amnesty when, in 1911, the
Ottoman Empire entered the war against Italy.
From the
Arab Revolt to today
During the
First World War, the city of Kerak does not play a special role. Very few of
Keraki [ 5 ] participated in the Arab Revolt against the Ottomans (1916-1918);
on the contrary, they rather support the Empire and mobilize themselves in the
Ottoman forces.
The
continuation of Kerak's history is quite common to other cities or regions of
Jordan: integrated into the Emirate of Transjordan, it is initially difficult
to assert the power, but the order is finally established; It must be noted,
however, that tribal disputes ceased in the late 1920s, even before the action
of John Bagot Glubb, which was so decisive in other areas. The inter-war period
saw the sedentarization of most tribes .
During the
Emirate, local politics changed little of what had been put in place by the
Ottomans, and Kerak is again on the outskirts of Transjordan: the fact that
there is no anti-Zionist demonstration (unlike Irbid for example) seems to
attest to the weak involvement of the city in the political and geopolitical
issues of the country or the Middle East.
After 1948
and the creation of the Hashemite kingdom, Kerak is increasingly integrated
with the central government. The Kerakis are ardent defenders of the dynasty,
and many of the Majalis and other tribes serve in the Arab Legion . Similarly,
Hazza 'Al-Majaly ("the Majali") was appointed Prime Minister several
times (before being assassinated in 1960), and Habis Pasha Al-Majaly was
commander-in-chief of the army during the Six-Day War (1967), then becomes
Minister of Defense.
Today,
Kerak is a medium-sized city, the seventh in the country: in 2010, it had
68,000 inhabitants, against 2 million for the Jordanian capital Amman, and
650,000 for Irbid. It is the capital of the governorate of Kerak, 6th in
population.
The castle
of Kerak is now the main testimony of the prestigious past of the city, where
the traces of the different cultures (Crusaders, Arabs ...) that have succeeded
one another.
معلومات عن قلعة الكرك بالانجليزي
who built karak
castle
karak castle
opening hours
قلعة الشوبك بالانجليزي
al karak news
معلومات عن قلعة عجلون بالانجليزي
do you like karak
castle why why not
معلومات عن الكرك
al-karak castle
museum
قلعة الاثرية
قلعة من الداخل
معلومات عن قلعة بالانجليزي
في اي قرن بنيت قلعة
كتابة عن عجلون
قلعة جرش
موضوع انجليزي عن الماء للصف الثامن فقرة برزنتيشن بحث موضوع ملخص جاهز باللغة الانجليزية انشاء موضوع انجليزي عن ابدا قصير كيفية كتابة موضوع تعبير باللغة الانجليزية توجيهي قواعد كتابة تعبير بالانجليزي طريقة سهلة لكتابة تعبير بالانجليزي
موضوع تعبير انجليزي يصلح لكل المواضيع كتابة تعبير بالانجليزي عن نفسك وصف تعبير انجليزي
يصلح لكل المواضيع موضوع انشاء شامل لكل المواضيع موضوع يصلح لجميع المواضيع موضوع
تعبير انجليزي جاهز برجراف ينفع لاى موضوع
موضوع انجليزي عن الماء قصير وسهل فوائد بالانجليزي عبارات بالانجليزي طويل اهمية مترجم ثالث ثانوي اول ثاني
ثانوي متوسط خمس سبع ثمان تسع اربع جمل كلمات كلام مقال علمي مقدمة بحث انجليزي حلول
اسباب حل مشكلة طويل شعر وصف قدوتي في الحياه انشودة نشيد كلام جميل حالات واتساب 2018 كلام
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