Shobak or Mont Real as it is known in local parlance or Mons Regalis is the Fortress of the Royal Mount. Shobak was the handiwork of King Baldwin 1 of Jerusalem. The fortress was built to protect the road from Damascus to Egypt and one of the high profile bastions in the Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem.
Shobak is a castle and a tourist' paradise emblazoned with historical inscriptions stands just off the King's Highway, 190 Km South of Amman and less than an hour North of Petra.
The history of Shobak further throws insights how Salahuddin Al-Ayyoubi won the battle of attrition and captured the castle in 1189 after the fight the crusaders were fighting for the causes of the castle fizzled away.
Shobak Castle is an exquisite spot in Jordan, where tourists can both explore the magnificence and magnanimity of the castle emblazoned with historical inscriptions that Salahuddin' apparent heir engraved on the walls of Shobak.
Shobak Castle unravels the magic of Southern Jordan. It is located at 1,300m/ 4,265 ft above sea level. The castle is one of the rarest beauties in Jordan ,whch unleashes a beauty of the desolate landscape but now in the grip of abject apathy and disrepair. Saving the exterior, the entire castle is falling apart.
Crudsader Castle apart, Shobak is also popular for hamlets that had been carved out of sun-dried bricks.The villages surrounding Shobak that gained prominence were Al Mgariyeh, Al Jayeh, Tor Abu Ras and many more.
Al Mgariyeh is said to be the biggest villages amongst the cluster of villages surrounding Shobak. Al Mgariyeh is located about three km north of the Shobak castle and is a great site flanked by fountains like Ain Sidr and Ain Mgariyeh to watch out for.
