Aš-Šawbak

Shoubak crowns a conical hill above the orchards and valleys east of the Arabah. The crusader king Baldwin I built the fortress of Montreal here in 1115 to extend Frankish power and watch the caravan road between Syria, Egypt and the Red Sea. After a long siege its garrison surrendered to al-Adil in 1189. The Ayyubids and Mamluks subsequently enlarged the castle, adding to its walls and towers.

Fourteenth-century writers described Shoubak as a productive district rich in water and orchards, whose fruit was sent to distant markets. Wheat, olives, vines and apricots grew on the lands around the fortress. Muslims and Christians lived in the town under Mamluk rule, while one of the castle's former churches was adapted for soap production. After the Ottoman conquest in 1516, a garrison occupied Shoubak, maintaining the fortified site above the agricultural district.