King's Highway

The road that predates Rome

The King’s Highway is one of the world’s oldest continuously used road corridors. The route — running along the ridge of the Transjordanian plateau from Damascus in the north to the Gulf of Aqaba in the south — was a major trade artery before the Israelites existed as a people. It appears in Numbers 20 and 21 in the Hebrew Bible: Moses, leading the Israelites through the Sinai, requested permission from the King of Edom and King of Sihon to pass through their territories along “the King’s Highway” without deviating left or right. Both refused, and the Israelites were forced to detour. The name has stuck across three millennia.

The Nabataeans used it to move frankincense and spices from Arabia to the Mediterranean. The Romans paved it as the Via Nova Traiana in 111-114 CE, connecting Bosra in Syria to Aqaba (Aila) in the south. Crusaders built castles along it to control the trade and pilgrimage flow between Damascus and the holy sites of Palestine. Saladin’s forces challenged those castles and eventually took them. The Ottoman pilgrim caravans from Damascus to Mecca followed this same elevated corridor for centuries.

Today the King’s Highway (Highway 35 in Jordan’s road numbering) is a two-lane road that follows the ancient route’s logic closely. It is sometimes slow — the road winds through dramatic highland terrain, drops into deep canyons, and passes through a string of small towns — but it is one of the most historically and scenically rewarding drives in the Middle East.

Driving the King’s Highway — the practical route

The conventional direction is north to south: starting in Madaba (30 km south of Amman) and finishing at Petra (Wadi Musa). The route:

Madaba (start): The mosaic city (30 minutes from Amman). Full morning stop: St George’s Mosaic Map, the Archaeological Park, breakfast at a local café.

Mount Nebo (10 km from Madaba): Moses’s viewpoint over the Promised Land. Half-hour stop.

Wadi Wala: The highway descends sharply into a deep canyon and climbs back up. The first indication of the dramatic landscape ahead.

Dibon (ancient Dhiban): The capital of the Moabite kingdom, where the Mesha Stele (now in the Louvre) was found in 1868 — an inscription of King Mesha of Moab describing his wars with Israel. A small tell; occasional archaeological access.

Wadi Mujib viewpoint: The highway crosses the Mujib canyon on a modern bridge 400 metres above the canyon floor. One of the most dramatic viewpoints on the entire route — the canyon plunges to the Dead Sea below. Worth stopping for photographs.

Karak: Major stop, 2-3 hours including the castle and old town. See below.

Wadi al-Hasa (between Karak and Tafilah): A canyon crossing of the historical Edomite boundary.

Tafilah: A small town with a Friday market that serves as the local regional hub. Brief stop or through-drive.

Dana village: Off the main highway, 3 km down a side road. If staying overnight or hiking, this is the detour. See below.

Shobak: The second major castle, south of Dana. An hour minimum stop.

Wadi Musa / Petra (end): The highway descends to Wadi Musa through the Al-Ji valley, arriving in the Petra gateway town. Journey complete.

Car required: The King’s Highway has no viable public transport connection for the full route. JETT buses use the Desert Highway. Renting a car in Amman and dropping it in Aqaba (one-way rental available from major agencies) is the cleanest option. Alternatively: an organised guided tour covers the route in one or two days.

From Amman: Karak and Shobak Crusader Castles tour

Madaba — the starting point of the Highway

Madaba is the natural gateway to the King’s Highway — close enough to Amman to reach before 9 AM and substantial enough to warrant a proper stop. The Byzantine Mosaic Map of the Holy Land (mid-6th century CE) in St George’s Church is the cornerstone of the visit: the oldest surviving cartographic representation of the Levant, with Jerusalem at its centre and the Dead Sea, Nile Delta, and Negev Desert recognisable around it.

The town has a significant Arab Christian community and a pleasant old quarter around the mosaic district. Local breakfast at one of the cafés on the main square before heading south is the right start to a King’s Highway day.

Full details at Madaba destination guide and Mount Nebo.

Karak — the greatest Crusader castle in Jordan

Karak (Al-Karak) is one of the finest Crusader castles anywhere in the former Kingdom of Jerusalem, built in the 1140s on a ridge that commands the ancient King’s Highway and the Dead Sea valley below. The castle was held by the Crusaders for decades under increasingly dramatic circumstances — most notoriously by Reynald of Chatillon, whose raids on Muslim caravans provoked Saladin’s invasion. The castle fell to Saladin’s forces in 1188 after an extended siege, but the structure survived and was subsequently used by the Mamluk and Ottoman rulers who came after.

The castle complex is large enough to explore for 2 hours. The interior includes a Crusader chapel, cisterns, a museum (modest but informative), dungeons, a Mamluk palace section, and multiple levels of galleries that wind through the cliff-edge fortifications. The view from the battlements is excellent: east across the plateau, west down the escarpment to the Dead Sea 1,000 metres below.

The town of Karak below the castle is a working Jordanian city — Friday market, good street food (the local mansaf at one of the restaurants on the main square), and a compact old town district adjacent to the castle precinct.

Practical: Jordan Pass covers castle entry. The castle is open daily 8:00-18:00 (summer), 8:00-16:00 (winter). A licensed guide from the castle entrance adds significant context (10-15 JOD). Parking is available below the castle; a short walk up to the entrance.

Wadi Mujib canyon viewpoint — the great interruption

Between Karak and Madaba, the King’s Highway crosses the Wadi Mujib gorge on a bridge that offers one of the most vertiginous viewpoints in Jordan. The canyon plunges 400+ metres from the road level down to the river and continues west another 500 metres to the Dead Sea. Stop on the south side of the bridge for the best angle — you look directly into the canyon mouth and down to the turquoise-green river far below.

The RSCN reserve and the Siq Trail hiking experience is accessible at the canyon bottom (via a separate road down from the Dead Sea Highway). See Jordan Valley and Wadi Mujib for details.

Tafilah — the Edomite border town

Tafilah (also spelled Tafila or Tafila’) sits in the highlands south of Wadi al-Hasa — the ancient border between Moab (to the north) and Edom (to the south). The town is a functional junction rather than a tourist site, but it has a Friday market of regional importance and marks the transition in the landscape from the more cultivated plateau north of Karak to the increasingly dramatic canyon country south. The Battle of Tafila (1918), in which Lawrence of Arabia led Arab forces in an unexpected conventional victory over Ottoman troops, took place near here — one of the episodes he describes at some length in Seven Pillars of Wisdom.

Tafilah is a through-stop on the King’s Highway, not a destination in itself. But the views from the town into the Wadi al-Hasa canyon to the north are striking.

Dana Biosphere Reserve — the canyon reserve

Dana Biosphere Reserve is accessed by a 3-km side road west off the King’s Highway, dropping to the village perched on the canyon rim. The reserve is the largest in Jordan and descends from the 1,500-metre plateau to the Wadi Araba floor in a series of dramatic steps through four different ecological zones.

Dana village itself is the overnight base: a small Ottoman-period stone settlement, partially restored by the RSCN, with the Dana Guest House providing the primary accommodation. The cliff-edge terrace at the Dana Guest House, facing west into the canyon as the sun sets, is one of the finest viewpoints in Jordan.

The reserve trails range from easy walks along the canyon rim to multi-day trekking routes. The most celebrated is the Jordan Trail segment: Dana to Petra, a 5-day, 75-kilometre route through the canyon system and the highlands above Petra. For day hikers on the King’s Highway, the Wadi Dana Trail (4-6 hours, descending into the canyon with a return or arranged pickup at the bottom) provides the most immersive single-day experience.

Practical: The Dana Guest House, Rummana Campsite (seasonal), and Feynan Ecolodge (at the canyon floor, 4WD access) are the RSCN-managed options. Book through rscn.org.jo. Trails require entry fees at the visitor centre.

Amman: 2-day Dana Reserve tour with meals and guide

Shobak — the lonely Crusader castle above the plateau

Shobak (Montreal Castle, Mons Realis) was the first Crusader castle built in Transjordan (1115 CE, under Baldwin I), predating Karak by three decades. It sits on a conical hill above the plateau south of Dana, visible from the King’s Highway and reached by a short access road. The castle is less visited than Karak and in a rawer state of preservation — more romantic and atmospheric for it. The concentric ruins include a Crusader church, cisterns with a 375-step internal staircase to a spring, and carved inscriptions in Arabic and Crusader-era Latin.

Shobak’s position — isolated on its hill, with the plateau stretching to the south and the canyon of the Shobak valley to the west — has a different character from Karak’s more commanding urban setting. Fewer visitors, more solitude, and a good view toward Petra’s mountain range to the south (the Sharah Mountains are visible on clear days).

Practical: Jordan Pass covers entry. Open daily. A guide is available from the castle; the internal staircase to the spring requires a guide with a torch. 45-90 minutes is sufficient.

The King’s Highway as pilgrimage route

The King’s Highway carries a particular weight in Abrahamic religious history. For Jews and Christians, it is the road of the Exodus narrative — Moses’s attempted (and refused) passage through Edom and Moab. For Christians, it connects the baptism site of Jesus at Bethany (at the start of the valley to the west) with the wilderness of Nabataean Petra and the sites of Paul’s Arabian retreat (Petra is one proposed location). For Muslims, the Ottoman hajj route partly followed this corridor.

The pilgrimage circuit most commonly assembled for Christian visitors: Bethany Beyond the Jordan → Madaba (Mosaic Map) → Mount Nebo → Karak (biblical Kir-Moab) → King’s Highway scenic drive → Petra (Nabataean capital, appearing in Paul’s letter to the Galatians as “Arabia”) → Aqaba.

This circuit combines archaeology, biblical geography, and landscape in a sequence that no other country in the region can replicate. Jordan is uniquely positioned: both west (Palestine) and east (Mesopotamia) of the ancient world’s main axis, and the physical corridor between them.

Suggested itineraries on the King’s Highway

King’s Highway in 1 day (Madaba to Petra): Depart Madaba 7:30 AM. Mount Nebo 30 min. Karak 2 hours. Brief stop at the Wadi Mujib viewpoint. Dana village late lunch (3 hours). Shobak 45 min. Arrive Wadi Musa/Petra at dusk. Long but feasible.

King’s Highway in 2 days: Day 1: Madaba → Nebo → Karak (overnight in Karak). Day 2: Wadi Mujib viewpoint → Dana (morning hike and lunch) → Shobak → Petra.

Classic Jordan loop (10 days, with King’s Highway): Amman → Jerash/Ajloun → Madaba/Nebo/Bethany → King’s Highway (Karak/Dana) → Petra → Wadi Rum → Aqaba → return to Amman via Desert Highway.

For full day-by-day itineraries, see Jordan in 7 days and Jordan in 10 days. The north Jordan and south Jordan regional guides cover the regions at each end of the King’s Highway.

How to fit the King’s Highway into a Jordan trip

The question is almost always framed as Desert Highway vs. King’s Highway when travelling between Amman and Petra. The honest answer:

Desert Highway: If you need to reach Petra fast (driving day is not the experience), or if time constraints mean you cannot afford 4-5 hours of driving plus stops.

King’s Highway: If you have a car and a free day, and you recognise that the drive is part of the itinerary rather than the cost of reaching the destination. Karak alone justifies the detour; Dana with an overnight makes it a journey in itself.

A sensible compromise: take the King’s Highway south (Amman → Petra via Karak/Dana) and return on the Desert Highway north (Petra → Amman in 3 hours). You experience the scenic route in the better-lit direction (south in the afternoon is excellent) and save time on the return. See the center Jordan guide for Amman and Madaba, and south Jordan for the Petra end of the route.

FAQ

Can I drive the King’s Highway safely?

Yes. The road is a normal two-lane highway, well maintained in most sections. The canyon crossings (Wadi Mujib, Wadi al-Hasa) involve steep descents and climbs — drive carefully and use low gear on the descents. There are petrol stations in Karak and Tafilah. Service is good and the road carries regular local traffic. No special vehicle required except for off-road detours (Feynan, some Dana trails).

Is it possible to do the King’s Highway by bus?

Not as a complete route. JETT buses use the Desert Highway. There are local buses between some towns (Amman to Karak, for example) but the connections between Karak, Dana, Shobak, and Petra are either infrequent or nonexistent. For non-drivers, an organised tour is the only realistic option.

Which is the better castle — Karak or Shobak?

Karak is larger, better preserved, has a stronger museum, and sits in a more dramatic urban setting. Shobak is smaller, rawer, more atmospheric, and much less visited. If you only have time for one: Karak. If you are driving the full King’s Highway anyway: both, since Shobak adds only 30 minutes.

Does the King’s Highway pass through any notable food stops?

Karak has good local restaurants in the town below the castle; a mansaf lunch there is recommended. Dana village has simple but honest food at the RSCN guesthouse. Tafilah has a local market (Friday is best). Otherwise, the highway is not a culinary circuit. Pack snacks and water.

Is Dana Biosphere Reserve only for serious hikers?

No. The rim walk from Dana village along the canyon edge is an easy 1-2 hour stroll accessible to most fitness levels. The view into the canyon from the village terrace requires no hiking at all. Overnight at the Dana Guest House with dinner on the cliff-edge terrace is a complete and memorable experience without touching a trail. The harder hiking (Wadi Dana descent, Jordan Trail) is for those who want it; it is not a condition of visiting.

What does “King’s Highway” mean — where does the name come from?

The name appears in the Hebrew Bible (Numbers 20:17 and 21:22) as “the royal road” or “the king’s road” — a common Semitic phrase for an established, maintained public road as opposed to a path through the wilderness. Scholars debate which specific king’s authority it originally referenced. By the time the Israelites used it, the road was already ancient. The Romans called it the Via Nova Traiana (New Trajanic Way) when they paved it in the early 2nd century CE. The Arabic name today is “Tariq al-Malik” — the King’s Road — a direct translation of the ancient title.