Qasabah al-Karak is the rural administrative district that wraps around the city on its eastern side. Beyond the modern outskirts the road climbs onto an open plateau of olive groves, almond trees, and small stone-built villages. It is the agricultural breadbasket for the governorate — wheat, barley, and grapes — and worth a slow drive if you have your own transport.
There is nothing in the way of formal sights here, but the rolling country and the old farmhouses are pleasant, and several restaurants along the Tafilah road serve unpretentious mansaf, the lamb-and-yoghurt national dish, at lunchtime. A good antidote to a morning spent in the castle.