Project UNESCO Tourist Trails and new signage systems01 — Al-Habis Trail Start and Site Overview

01 — Al-Habis Trail Start and Site Overview

This pathway follows the original route established by the Crusaders in the early 1100s. When they built al-Habis Castle, they constructed it on top of much older Nabatean, Roman, and Byzantine remains.From this vantage point, Crusader soldiers monitored movement into the Petra Valley from Egypt via the Sinai, Wadi Sabra, and Jebel Harun. Al-Habis was one element of a wider defensive network stretching from the Red Sea in the south to Syria in the north. These fortifications oversaw travel and trade along two major routes: a north–south route linking Egypt and Syria, and an east–west route connecting the Mediterranean with the Arabian Peninsula. If you are interested in Crusader architecture, Petra has another fortress: al-Wu’ayra. Larger and more prominent than al-Habis, it offers an excellent opportunity to explore this historical period further.