Tafilah Castle, Medieval castle in Tafilah Governorate, Jordan

Tafilah Castle is a rectangular fortress that stands on an elevated hilltop overlooking the Jordan Valley, built from massive stone walls with a central cylindrical water well at its core. The structure is surrounded by eight-meter-high walls and accessed through an eastern entrance that opens into a spacious courtyard paved with large stones.

Excavation at Tafilah Castle has not yet begun, so its Edomite origin remains a hypothesis; the present structure was built in the Ottoman period as a military fort. It was repeatedly damaged by wars and earthquakes and rebuilt several times. The Mamluks and Ottomans were its last users, and no inscriptions on its walls allow precise dating.

The castle's name is tied to Tafilah, the town on whose north-western hill it stands. Its walls carry no inscriptions or writing, which is why its dating remains uncertain. The main gate faces east and was closed in times of war; houses once clustered tightly around the walls in a ring.

The eastern gate provides the main way to enter and leads directly into the courtyard where you can explore the different sections of the fortress. Wear sturdy shoes because the stone surfaces are uneven and some areas near the walls have steep slopes.

The inner wall is built in two stepped levels rather than a straight face, so defenders could climb to the top and stack weapons and supplies on the middle ledge. The wall rises about eight metres, and its rear openings are wide inside and narrow outward, made for shooting arrows and later firearms.