AMMAN - A soldier on horseback gallops into the towering gates of Ajloun Castle, perched high on a hilltop overlooking the three main routes leading to the Jordan Valley.
Carrying an urgent dispatch on an impending attack by Crusaders, he makes his way into the heavily guarded fortress, where the general is poring over a map, busy planning his next military campaign.
Outside, mounted cavalrymen in full armour stand guard, while archers keep a vigilant eye on the surrounding area from the turret.
The following is not a dramatic scene from a movie, but a portrayal of a 12th-century scene in present-day northern Jordan.
In the words of Swedish history enthusiast and chairman of the Jordan Living History Association (JOLHA) Stellan Lind, it is "an authentic reenactment of times lived and experienced during that century".
Lind, who injected a new edge to the tourist experience in Jerash with reenactments of gladiator fights and chariot races through the Roman Army and Chariot Experience (RACE), said a living history environment will be created at the site of Ajloun Castle in May.
"The castle is going to be brought back to life," said Lind.
"People walking in will see armoured soldiers practising with swords, archers standing guard behind the castle's arrow slits and even a small theatre inside the castle where the general sits working on his plans," he added.
Situated on a summit some 1,000 metres above sea level, the castle, also known as Qalaat Al Rabad, is one of the country's unique historical landmarks and best preserved examples of medieval Arab-Islamic military architecture.
Built in 1184AD by General Salaheddine Al Ayyubi's nephew Ezzeddine Usama, the towering fortress was an important link in the defensive chain against the Crusaders, who unsuccessfully spent decades trying to capture the castle and nearby village.
It held a strategic position of dominance and also protected trade and commercial routes between Jordan and Syria.
One can still see the wide range of defences preserved in the castle's architecture, including a 16-metre-wide and 12-metre-deep moat carved into the rock, as well as machicolations (a floor opening between the supporting corbels of a battlement, through which stones and lethally hot liquids could be dropped on attackers at the base of a defensive wall) and arrow slits in the walls.
Lind said around 20 men and women from the Economic and Social Association of Retired Servicemen and Veterans will be recruited for the reenactment, which was developed by JOLHA along with the Department of Antiquities.
He described the scenario as "authentic as it is entertaining", which will include a marketplace where people can be seen haggling and selling and trading items such as silk and spices.
Other plans may include developing a 12th century catapult used in medieval warfare at the time. Lind said many of the rocks found inside the castle are believed to be ones used for that purpose.
Another aspect set to be brought to life is the pigeon tower in the southeast corner of the castle built by Mamluk officer Aibak Abdullah in 1215AD, following the death of Ezzedine Usama.
The tower was part of a network of beacons and pigeon posts used to transmit signals from as far as Damascus and Cairo.
It was said that pigeons were able to deliver these messages in 12 hours.
"We want to bring that aspect to life by releasing pigeons to show tourists the role they played as messengers," said Lind.
A similar example of "living history" was introduced by JOLHA in Petra where some 45 men and women in full Nabataean garb sell and trade at a marketplace.
Around 60 retired servicemen are engaged in the daily chariot races, Roman army formations, demonstrations and gladiator fights in Jerash.
Unlike the Jerash shows which are ticketed, those in Ajloun and Petra will be open performances, staged daily between 9:00am and 3:00pm.
Last year, the Ministry of Planning gave JOLHA JD600,000 to promote RACE performances in Jerash as well as expand their activities to include new sites in Ajloun, Karak and Amman.
The USAID/Jordan Tourism Development Project also contributed JD38,000 to enhance the Jerash programme and for JOLHA's promotional activities.
Lind said plans under the first phase include recreating Crusader battles near Karak, Roman legionnaires at the Amman Citadel and Latin recitals in the downtown amphitheatre.
JOLHA expects some 170 ex-servicemen and women to be involved in living history and historical reenactment activities in Jerash, Petra, Ajloun, Karak and Amman in the first phase.
New activities under phase two, which will begin late next year, include a re-enactment of the Great Arab Revolt against the Ottoman Empire in Wadi Rum, the Muslim victory over Crusaders at Hittin and other activities in Pella and Um Qais.
In Wadi Rum, participants will be able to rent outfits, ride camels and lead a raid against the Ottomans in the scenic desert.
All these activities combined will employ some 300 retired army personnel, according to Lind.
By Dalya Dajani
© Jordan Times 2008
