Al-Karak, also spelled Kerak, is the "City of Potsherds" in the ancient Moabite territory of Jordan. The city is  the Qir-hareseth, or Qir-heres, of the Old Testament, a capital of ancient Moab. 

In the ninth century BC, Mesha, Moab's king, failed to pay tribute, so Israel, Judah, and Edom joined to attack him. When the stronghold of Qir-hareseth lay under siege, Mesha offered his son, the crown prince, as a burnt offering on the city wall (2 Kings 3), and the king's enemies backed off. In a later era, Isaiah and Jeremiah pronounced doom on Qir-hareseth (Isaiah 15, 16; Jeremiah 48). 

The Moabites used to offer their children to Chemosh on the high place here. On the site today are the ruins of a Crusader castle. According to our guide, who grew up here--as did his wife--local tradition says this city was also the home of Ruth the Moabitess.