Ajlun
Ajlun Castle (Qal’at Ar-Rabad) was built by Saladin’s general in 1184 AD to control the iron mines of Ajlun, and to counter the progress of the Crusaders by dominating the three main routes leading to the Jordan Valley and protecting the communication routes between Jordan and Syria. It is a fine example of Islamic architecture dominating a wider stretch of the northern Jordan Valley. Close to Ajlun is Anjara, a Christian pilgrimage site where Jesus Christ, his mother Mary, and his disciples passed through and rested in a nearby cave now commemorated with the Church of Our Lady of the Mountain.
