Nimrod Fortress
Encyclopedia
The Nimrod Fortress or Nimrod's Fortress, is a medieval fortress
situated in the northern Golan Heights, on a ridge rising about 800 m (2600 feet) above sea level.
, nephew of Saladin
and younger son of Al-Adil I
, to pre-empt any attempt on Damascus
by the Sixth Crusade
. It was named Qala'at al-Subeiba, "Castle of the Large Cliff" in Arabic. It was further expanded to contain the whole ridge by 1230, and Baibars
strengthened it and added larger towers after 1260. The castle was given to Baibars's second-on-command, Bilik. The new governor started the broad construction activities. When the construction was finished, Bilik memorialized his work and glorified the name of sultan
in a 1275 inscription. After the death of Baibars, his son arranged for Bilik to be murdered, apparently because he feared his power.
At the end of the 13th century, following the Muslim conquest of the port city of Akko (Acre) and the end of Crusader
rule in the Holy Land
, the fortress lost strategic value and fell into disrepair.
After the Ottoman Turks
conquered the land in 1517, they used the fortress as a luxury prison for Ottoman nobles who had been exiled to Palestine
. The fortress was abandoned later in the 16th century and only local shepherds and their flocks were temporary guests within its walls.
The fortress was ruined by an earthquake
in the 18th century.
The Jews called it Nimrod Fortress after Nimrod
, a biblical figure who according to tradition had lived on the summit:
Overlooking the high, eastern edge of the fortress stood a large keep
, measuring 65 by 45 metres (200 by 150 feet) and protected by massive rectangular towers.
The fortress overlooks the deep, narrow valley separating Mount Hermon
from the rest of the Golan Heights, the road linking the Galilee
with Damascus
, and the former Crusader
town of Banias
.
The entrance is from the east, and the first section contains "secret corridors" — winding staircases and underground water cisterns with some of the original plaster still visible. There are many examples of "loopholes" in fortress —special windows that are narrow on the outside but wide on the inside. They were designed specifically
for shooting bows and arrows or crossbows, giving the defender inside the fortress plenty of room but the attacker
only a narrow slit as a target. The central part, which is accessible by a path within the fortress, contains the remains of a Keep
surrounded by large rectangular towers. In the western section, there are the remains of a fortress within a fortress, which was protected by its own moat and drawbridge. This is the oldest part of the castle, which was built the first.
The park entrance is located on Route 989 between Kiryat Shmona
and Mount Hermon
, about thirty minutes east of Kiryat Shmona.
Nimrod
, an Israeli settlement
, is located nearby. In the Israeli film Beaufort (film)
, the castle substituted Beaufort Castle
, which is located in Lebanon.
Fortification
Fortifications are military constructions and buildings designed for defence in warfare and military bases. Humans have constructed defensive works for many thousands of years, in a variety of increasingly complex designs...
situated in the northern Golan Heights, on a ridge rising about 800 m (2600 feet) above sea level.
History
The fortress was built around 1229 by Al-Aziz UthmanAl-Aziz Uthman
Al-Malik Al-Aziz Osman bin Salahadin Yusuf was the second Ayyubid Sultan of Egypt. He was the second son of Saladin.Before his death, Saladin had divided his dominions amongst his kin: Al-Afdal received Palestine and Syria, Al-Aziz was made ruler of Egypt, Al-Zahir received Aleppo, Al-Adil...
, nephew of Saladin
Saladin
Ṣalāḥ ad-Dīn Yūsuf ibn Ayyūb , better known in the Western world as Saladin, was an Arabized Kurdish Muslim, who became the first Sultan of Egypt and Syria, and founded the Ayyubid dynasty. He led Muslim and Arab opposition to the Franks and other European Crusaders in the Levant...
and younger son of Al-Adil I
Al-Adil I
Al-Adil I was an Ayyubid-Egyptian general and ruler of Kurdish descent. From his honorific "Sayf al-Din" he was sometimes known to the Frankish crusaders as "Saphadin".- Life :...
, to pre-empt any attempt on Damascus
Damascus
Damascus , commonly known in Syria as Al Sham , and as the City of Jasmine , is the capital and the second largest city of Syria after Aleppo, both are part of the country's 14 governorates. In addition to being one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world, Damascus is a major...
by the Sixth Crusade
Sixth Crusade
The Sixth Crusade started in 1228 as an attempt to regain Jerusalem. It began seven years after the failure of the Fifth Crusade. It involved very little actual fighting...
. It was named Qala'at al-Subeiba, "Castle of the Large Cliff" in Arabic. It was further expanded to contain the whole ridge by 1230, and Baibars
Baibars
Baibars or Baybars , nicknamed Abu l-Futuh , was a Mamluk Sultan of Egypt. He was one of the commanders of the forces which inflicted a devastating defeat on the Seventh Crusade of King Louis IX of France and he led the vanguard of the Egyptian army at the Battle of Ain Jalut in 1260, which marked...
strengthened it and added larger towers after 1260. The castle was given to Baibars's second-on-command, Bilik. The new governor started the broad construction activities. When the construction was finished, Bilik memorialized his work and glorified the name of sultan
Sultan
Sultan is a title with several historical meanings. Originally, it was an Arabic language abstract noun meaning "strength", "authority", "rulership", and "dictatorship", derived from the masdar سلطة , meaning "authority" or "power". Later, it came to be used as the title of certain rulers who...
in a 1275 inscription. After the death of Baibars, his son arranged for Bilik to be murdered, apparently because he feared his power.
At the end of the 13th century, following the Muslim conquest of the port city of Akko (Acre) and the end of Crusader
Crusades
The Crusades were a series of religious wars, blessed by the Pope and the Catholic Church with the main goal of restoring Christian access to the holy places in and near Jerusalem...
rule in the Holy Land
Holy Land
The Holy Land is a term which in Judaism refers to the Kingdom of Israel as defined in the Tanakh. For Jews, the Land's identifiction of being Holy is defined in Judaism by its differentiation from other lands by virtue of the practice of Judaism often possible only in the Land of Israel...
, the fortress lost strategic value and fell into disrepair.
After the Ottoman Turks
Ottoman Turks
The Ottoman Turks were the Turkish-speaking population of the Ottoman Empire who formed the base of the state's military and ruling classes. Reliable information about the early history of Ottoman Turks is scarce, but they take their Turkish name, Osmanlı , from the house of Osman I The Ottoman...
conquered the land in 1517, they used the fortress as a luxury prison for Ottoman nobles who had been exiled to Palestine
Palestine
Palestine is a conventional name, among others, used to describe the geographic region between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River, and various adjoining lands....
. The fortress was abandoned later in the 16th century and only local shepherds and their flocks were temporary guests within its walls.
The fortress was ruined by an earthquake
Earthquake
An earthquake is the result of a sudden release of energy in the Earth's crust that creates seismic waves. The seismicity, seismism or seismic activity of an area refers to the frequency, type and size of earthquakes experienced over a period of time...
in the 18th century.
The Jews called it Nimrod Fortress after Nimrod
Nimrod (king)
Nimrod is, according to the Book of Genesis and Books of Chronicles, the son of Cush and great-grandson of Noah and the king of Shinar. He is depicted in the Tanakh as a man of power in the earth, and a mighty hunter. Extra-Biblical traditions associating him with the Tower of Babel led to his...
, a biblical figure who according to tradition had lived on the summit:
- And Cush begat Nimrod: he began to be a mighty one in the earth. He was a mighty hunter before the Lord: wherefore it is said, Even as Nimrod the mighty hunter before the Lord. (Genesis 10:8-9)
Description
The entire fortress complex is 420 m (1350 feet) in length and 150 m (500 feet) in width, and is built of large, carefully squared stones. Along the walls are numerous rectangular and semi-circular towers, roofed with pointed cross-arches.Overlooking the high, eastern edge of the fortress stood a large keep
Keep
A keep is a type of fortified tower built within castles during the Middle Ages by European nobility. Scholars have debated the scope of the word keep, but usually consider it to refer to large towers in castles that were fortified residences, used as a refuge of last resort should the rest of the...
, measuring 65 by 45 metres (200 by 150 feet) and protected by massive rectangular towers.
The fortress overlooks the deep, narrow valley separating Mount Hermon
Mount Hermon
Mount Hermon is a mountain cluster in the Anti-Lebanon mountain range. Its summit straddles the border between Syria and Lebanon and, at 2,814 m above sea level, is the highest point in Syria. On the top there is “Hermon Hotel”, in the buffer zone between Syria and Israeli-occupied...
from the rest of the Golan Heights, the road linking the Galilee
Galilee
Galilee , is a large region in northern Israel which overlaps with much of the administrative North District of the country. Traditionally divided into Upper Galilee , Lower Galilee , and Western Galilee , extending from Dan to the north, at the base of Mount Hermon, along Mount Lebanon to the...
with Damascus
Damascus
Damascus , commonly known in Syria as Al Sham , and as the City of Jasmine , is the capital and the second largest city of Syria after Aleppo, both are part of the country's 14 governorates. In addition to being one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world, Damascus is a major...
, and the former Crusader
Crusader states
The Crusader states were a number of mostly 12th- and 13th-century feudal states created by Western European crusaders in Asia Minor, Greece and the Holy Land , and during the Northern Crusades in the eastern Baltic area...
town of Banias
Banias
Banias is an archaeological site by the ancient city of Caesarea Philippi, located at the foot of Mount Hermon in the Golan Heights...
.
Current condition
Today the site is administered by the Israel Nature and Parks Authority and visitors can explore the excavated and restored portions of the fortress.The entrance is from the east, and the first section contains "secret corridors" — winding staircases and underground water cisterns with some of the original plaster still visible. There are many examples of "loopholes" in fortress —special windows that are narrow on the outside but wide on the inside. They were designed specifically
for shooting bows and arrows or crossbows, giving the defender inside the fortress plenty of room but the attacker
only a narrow slit as a target. The central part, which is accessible by a path within the fortress, contains the remains of a Keep
Keep
A keep is a type of fortified tower built within castles during the Middle Ages by European nobility. Scholars have debated the scope of the word keep, but usually consider it to refer to large towers in castles that were fortified residences, used as a refuge of last resort should the rest of the...
surrounded by large rectangular towers. In the western section, there are the remains of a fortress within a fortress, which was protected by its own moat and drawbridge. This is the oldest part of the castle, which was built the first.
The park entrance is located on Route 989 between Kiryat Shmona
Kiryat Shmona
Kiryat Shmona is a city located in the North District of Israel on the western slopes of the Hula Valley on the Lebanese border. The city was named for the eight people, including Joseph Trumpeldor, who died in 1920 defending Tel Hai....
and Mount Hermon
Mount Hermon
Mount Hermon is a mountain cluster in the Anti-Lebanon mountain range. Its summit straddles the border between Syria and Lebanon and, at 2,814 m above sea level, is the highest point in Syria. On the top there is “Hermon Hotel”, in the buffer zone between Syria and Israeli-occupied...
, about thirty minutes east of Kiryat Shmona.
Nimrod
Nimrod, Golan Heights
Nimrod is a small Israeli settlement, cooperative agricultural community, in the Golan Heights on the southern slopes of Mount Hermon, and is the highest such civilian settlement in Israel at above sea level.The moshav is part of the Golan Regional Council...
, an Israeli settlement
Israeli settlement
An Israeli settlement is a Jewish civilian community built on land that was captured by Israel from Jordan, Egypt, and Syria during the 1967 Six-Day War and is considered occupied territory by the international community. Such settlements currently exist in the West Bank...
, is located nearby. In the Israeli film Beaufort (film)
Beaufort (film)
Beaufort is a 2007 Israeli war film. The film was directed by Joseph Cedar and was co-written by Cedar and Ron Leshem, based on Leshem's If there's a Heaven...
, the castle substituted Beaufort Castle
Beaufort Castle, Lebanon
Beaufort or Belfort The castle was named "bel fort" or "beau fort" by the Crusaders who occupied the castle in the twelfth century. Its Arabic name Qala'at ash-Shqif means Castle of the High Rock...
, which is located in Lebanon.