Ajloun Castle

 The new header photo was taken from the road up to the Castle, which is something like 3,500 feet above sea level.  Again, the missing photos have photos from this castle with them.  I have borrowed this top one from Enjoy Jordan Travel Agency.  Please visit the link to see more. As a change from Crusader castles, this was built in the 12th Century by Muslims to protect the area from being overrun by Crusader forces.

Another Link here which will show you various internal and external photos.

Here's a rather Disneyesque AI image of what the castle looked like in its heyday.

A view from the top - there were cable cars running across our view but you can't see them here.  The castle had clearly been restored, but not to the exacting standards we are used to in the UK.

My overwhelming thought, as we climbed the very wide staircases through the building, was how weak it would be to defend.  We are used to seeing narrow, defendable stairways, and curtain walls surrounding the bailey, with murder holes and a portcullis in the gatehouse.  (That said I think this did have a portcullis and murder holes).  The spiral staircases inside Welsh castles could be defended by one man, a right handed chap with a sword.  Here - 100s of armed men could have overcome it in short shrift once the main entrance was overwhelmed.  Mind you, with the castle being so high up, the Crusaders wouldn't have had much element of surprise!

My journal says (sorry to repeat):  "Ajloun castle after lunch - 3,500 feet above sea level.  Lots of trees in this area.  Another rebuilt castle - stairways seemed impossibly wide to repel raiders.  Fabulous views and some cute castle cats!  A good, if small, museum with some Byzantine glass, pottery, small carved stone door etc."

My photos from phone of museum exhibits.

Various pipes.

Amazing Byzantine glass. Byzantine period stretched between 330 and  1343.

2 pots from Tell Abu sarbat.

Amazing carved stone door.

A hard-to-decipher stone.

Yes, yet another mosaic :)

A quern made from rock.  I imagine the resultant flour would have been quite gritty.

Back to normal.  Rosie, looking subdued (due a sleep - she slept for more than 2 hours) and I yesterday, having some granny and baby time.

I will have problems next week though.  Car, it turns out, needs a new clutch.  Unfortunately that can't be done for a fortnight.  Other garages in the area say mid or end of April!  So as I have to be at Tam's next Monday to babysit again, I will just have to not drive it until next Monday and then go steadily.  Getting into first gear when I start up of a morning is the worst bit.  Then it eases.  

I had a pleasant walk home from the garage this morning, and then later up the road to my friend's to get car advice from her husband, so past 10K steps today from that.