Ajloun Castle
Religion Intertwined with a Rich Past
The present town of Ajloun has been built around this sentimental castle. The castle's developing faubourg led to its second name, Qalʻat ar-Rabad, "the castle of the faubourg" or "the castle with the suburbs". The legacy of the Al-Rabadis, a respected Christian family, still echoes around Ajlun Castle, where they once owned vast agricultural lands. Dating back to 1184, General Izz al-Din Usama reconstructed the castle atop an ancient monastery site. Tradition has it that the name 'Ajlun goes back to a Byzantine-period Christian monk who lived on a mountain in the area. It was rebuilt as a castle in 1184 by Izz al-Din Usama, a general in the army of Saladin.
