Beyond the parapet at Karak Castle is the glacis , the dizzyingly steep rocky slope that prevented invaders from climbing up to the castle and prisoners from climbing down. This is where Renauld de Châtillon delighted in expelling his enemies.
The overgrown upper court has a large cistern and the largely unexcavated domestic residences of the castle. At the northern end of the castle is the terrace, directly above the Crusader Gallery, with fine views. Above the far (southern) end of the castle rises Umm al-Thallaja (Mother of Snows), the hill which posed the greatest threat to the castle’s defences during times of siege. To the west is the village of Al-Shabiya, which was once called Al-Ifranj because many Crusaders (Franks) settled here after the fall of the castle.
