Just a heads up, this Fortress/Palace is not made by Nimrod from the Tower of Babel. Read the history below to find out what happened!
There is SO much history just within the area of Nimrod's Fortress! Okay, I'll tell you the history. It all starts after the battle at the Horns of Hitiin (1187), the Crusaders lost their hold on most of the territory in the Land of Israel. Salah a-Din, who commanded the Ayyubi army in its struggle against the Crusaders, was lord of the land. He and his troops systematically desdtoryed the fortress which fell into theird hands. The Crusaders, however attempted to return and reconquer the Holy Land in subsequent Cresades, but they were able to gain hegemony only on the Coastal Plain and in the Galilee. The Banias area, which also fell to the Muslims, was placed under the governorship of al-'Aziz 'Othan, nephew of Salah a-Din. Intrigues between Sultan el-Kamal in Egypt and his brother al-Moatis, govenor of Damascus, brought about the building of the fortress, and it happened this way in 1227, the army of the German Eperor (Kaisar) Fredrick II arrived in the Holy Land. Sultan el-Kamal provoked the Kaisar to engage his brother in battle, and even gave Jerusalem to the Kaisar. Al-Moatis, who feared that the Crusaders were about to attck Damascus and conquer it, initated construction of the fortress in 1227 with the help of his younger brother al-'Aziz 'Othman, in order to defend the road leading to Damascus. When the danger had passed, the Ayyubids decided to reniforce and to expand it westward. construction continued for about a year and was completed in 1230. In 1253, the Crusaders tried to return and conquer the fortress, nut to no avail. The Mongol invasion of Syria and the Holy Land from Central Asia seven years later brought about the destruction of the fortress. The Mameluke army managed to stop the Mongols at the battle at the 'En Jalud ('Ein Harod), considered to be one of the most important battles, Baybars, named himslef Sultan of Mamelukes and gave the fortress to his second in command, Bilik. The new governor began broad reconsruction activites and actually, the building in his day was the most grandiose ever, and included the semicircular towers. Bilik memorialized his work and glorified the name of his siltan in the impressive incription from 1275. With the surrender of the Crusaders and their final ejection from the Holy Land at the end of the 13th century, the prestige of the fortress diminished. In the 15th century it served as a prison for rebels, but later was abandoned. From that time on, shepered and their flocks would occasionally take shelter in its fastnesses.
Here is a basic description of the Fortress and were it's located. Nimrod Fortress is located on top of a mountain with the scenery on the slopes of Mt. Hermon, ( the ski hill here in northern Israel) atop a ridge at an altitude of 815 meters (2,675 feet) above sea level. The northern slope drops to the north towards the Guvta stream, while the southern slope drops to Wadi a-Naqib. The ridge descends southward toward Banias and rises eastward in the direction of Mt. Hermon. The whole National Park covers an area of 195 dunams (19.5 hectares, 49 acres). Within the park lies the fortress occupying 33 dunams (3.3 hectares, 8 acres) and it's surrounded by olive groves and natural vegetation. Nimrod's Fortress is one of the largest and most impressive fortresses which has survived in the Mid-East since the Middle Ages. The fortress controlled one of the region's main roads, which began in Tyre on the Medditerranean shore and ran through the upper Hula Valley and Banias to Damascus. The Fortress with its long narrow structure, fits in with the special topographic conditions of the area. Its width varies accordingly from 50 meters (165 feet to)150 meters (about 500 feet). Its length is 420 meters (1,380 feet) The fortress is sourrounded by walls and towers. Its really an amazing palce even though only so much of it remains.
The whole entire Fortress has 14 different sites including The Northwest Tower, The Southwest Tower, The Donjon, and The pool. That's not all, but that's what I'm going to be talking about in this post ;)
The Northwest Tower (1) is an impressive gate installed in the tower bears an Arabic inscription of the Ayyubi governor al-'Aziz 'Othman and belongs to the first construction stage. The stones of the arch shifted in an earthquake (1759), but miraculously the arch itself did not collapse!!
The Western Tower (3) is facing Westward and is not yet excavated.
The Southwest Tower (5) Provides a magnificent view of the Galilee, the Hula Valey and the slopes of the Golan. The tower was enlarged in Baybar's time, after which additional embrasures were built.
The Donjon (10 & 11) is a fortified indepedent location standing off above the fortress (Donjon is french "keep" in English). In the event that the lower fortifications were overrun, the defenders were able to continue the battle and the defence of the fortress from a very large and stronly constructed donjon. At the four corners of the structure square towers were erected. In the area between them were found remnants of the arches of a ceremonial hall, additional halls and water cisterns.
I loved being up there and seeing the Holy Land from a different view. Even the history behind this fortress is amazing!
There is SO much history just within the area of Nimrod's Fortress! Okay, I'll tell you the history. It all starts after the battle at the Horns of Hitiin (1187), the Crusaders lost their hold on most of the territory in the Land of Israel. Salah a-Din, who commanded the Ayyubi army in its struggle against the Crusaders, was lord of the land. He and his troops systematically desdtoryed the fortress which fell into theird hands. The Crusaders, however attempted to return and reconquer the Holy Land in subsequent Cresades, but they were able to gain hegemony only on the Coastal Plain and in the Galilee. The Banias area, which also fell to the Muslims, was placed under the governorship of al-'Aziz 'Othan, nephew of Salah a-Din. Intrigues between Sultan el-Kamal in Egypt and his brother al-Moatis, govenor of Damascus, brought about the building of the fortress, and it happened this way in 1227, the army of the German Eperor (Kaisar) Fredrick II arrived in the Holy Land. Sultan el-Kamal provoked the Kaisar to engage his brother in battle, and even gave Jerusalem to the Kaisar. Al-Moatis, who feared that the Crusaders were about to attck Damascus and conquer it, initated construction of the fortress in 1227 with the help of his younger brother al-'Aziz 'Othman, in order to defend the road leading to Damascus. When the danger had passed, the Ayyubids decided to reniforce and to expand it westward. construction continued for about a year and was completed in 1230. In 1253, the Crusaders tried to return and conquer the fortress, nut to no avail. The Mongol invasion of Syria and the Holy Land from Central Asia seven years later brought about the destruction of the fortress. The Mameluke army managed to stop the Mongols at the battle at the 'En Jalud ('Ein Harod), considered to be one of the most important battles, Baybars, named himslef Sultan of Mamelukes and gave the fortress to his second in command, Bilik. The new governor began broad reconsruction activites and actually, the building in his day was the most grandiose ever, and included the semicircular towers. Bilik memorialized his work and glorified the name of his siltan in the impressive incription from 1275. With the surrender of the Crusaders and their final ejection from the Holy Land at the end of the 13th century, the prestige of the fortress diminished. In the 15th century it served as a prison for rebels, but later was abandoned. From that time on, shepered and their flocks would occasionally take shelter in its fastnesses.
Here is a basic description of the Fortress and were it's located. Nimrod Fortress is located on top of a mountain with the scenery on the slopes of Mt. Hermon, ( the ski hill here in northern Israel) atop a ridge at an altitude of 815 meters (2,675 feet) above sea level. The northern slope drops to the north towards the Guvta stream, while the southern slope drops to Wadi a-Naqib. The ridge descends southward toward Banias and rises eastward in the direction of Mt. Hermon. The whole National Park covers an area of 195 dunams (19.5 hectares, 49 acres). Within the park lies the fortress occupying 33 dunams (3.3 hectares, 8 acres) and it's surrounded by olive groves and natural vegetation. Nimrod's Fortress is one of the largest and most impressive fortresses which has survived in the Mid-East since the Middle Ages. The fortress controlled one of the region's main roads, which began in Tyre on the Medditerranean shore and ran through the upper Hula Valley and Banias to Damascus. The Fortress with its long narrow structure, fits in with the special topographic conditions of the area. Its width varies accordingly from 50 meters (165 feet to)150 meters (about 500 feet). Its length is 420 meters (1,380 feet) The fortress is sourrounded by walls and towers. Its really an amazing palce even though only so much of it remains.
The whole entire Fortress has 14 different sites including The Northwest Tower, The Southwest Tower, The Donjon, and The pool. That's not all, but that's what I'm going to be talking about in this post ;)
The Western Tower (3) is facing Westward and is not yet excavated. The Southwest Tower (5) Provides a magnificent view of the Galilee, the Hula Valey and the slopes of the Golan. The tower was enlarged in Baybar's time, after which additional embrasures were built.
The Donjon (10 & 11) is a fortified indepedent location standing off above the fortress (Donjon is french "keep" in English). In the event that the lower fortifications were overrun, the defenders were able to continue the battle and the defence of the fortress from a very large and stronly constructed donjon. At the four corners of the structure square towers were erected. In the area between them were found remnants of the arches of a ceremonial hall, additional halls and water cisterns.
I loved being up there and seeing the Holy Land from a different view. Even the history behind this fortress is amazing!
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