Al Karak
Kir, Kir-Moab and Kir-Heres are the Old Testament names for the town of Kerak (Isaiah 15:1, 16:7 and 16:11 and Jeremiah 48:36). In the time of the Judges, the Moabite King Eglon may have resided in Kir-Moab. In 850 B.C. one of his successors, King Mesha, was surrounded by the united Israel-Judah forces of Kings Jehoram and Jehoshaphat in Kir-Heres and could only escape defeat by sacrificing his first-born son.
karak was previously known as “Kir Moab” or “Kir-haraseth” and is mentioned in multiple verses in the holy Bible. Isaiah 16:7 states the following, “Therefore let Moab wail for Moab, let everyone wail. Mourn, utterly stricken, for the raisin cakes of Kir-hareseth.”
Aditionally, in the verse 2 Kings 3:25, it states: “And they beat down the cities, and on every good piece of land cast every man his stone, and filled it; and they stopped all the wells of water, and felled all the good trees: only in Kir-haraseth left they the stones thereof; howbeit the slingers went about it, and smote it.”
With its historic and biblical references, the city of Karak located south of the kingdom and a two-hour drive from the capital of Amman, offers visitors a unique opportunity to learn about and experience the incredible stories and achievements of human history.