It is the hilltop stronghold of Herod the Great, located 73 km from Amman and 25 km southeast of the mouth of the Jordan River on the eastern side of the Dead Sea.

Mukawir stands about 1,100 meters above Dead Sea level, and it is surrounded on all sides by deep ravines which provide great natural strength for the stronghold. The palace was built in the center of the fortified area.

Upon Herod’s death, his son Herod Antipas inherited the fortress and it’s from here that he ordered John the Baptist to be beheaded after Salome’s fateful dance of the seven veils.
From there you can see the surrounding countryside, the Dead Sea, and the West Bank.