Nimrod Fortress
Nimrod castle
The Nimrod Castle (also Subeibé; arab: Qala'at al - Subeiba to German " castle on the big rock "; Heb.. מבצר נמרוד, Mivtzar Nimrod ) is a medieval fortress from the 13th century, the nephew of Saladin al - Aziz Uthman was built and is located in the north of the Golan Heights. The fortress is known as one of the national parks in Israel under the name Nimrod National Park. The park covers about 20 acres. The name Nimrod Castle originated from a local tradition which says that the great-grandson of Noah, who. " First hero on earth and efficient hunter " (Gen. 10.8-9 ) Nimrod lived on this rock
Location
The Nimrod Castle is situated on a narrow rocky ridge at an altitude of 800 meters, 3 kilometers east of the three sources of the Jordan, the Banyasquelle. To reach it is practically just across the street 9898, a side street of the 22 km east after Kiryat Shmona extending Route 99 and 10 miles south-west of the Syrian border in the Mount Hermon runs along route 98 From this mighty castle overlooks the west and south to the borders of Israel, Lebanon and Syria.
The fortified complex is 420 meters long and 150 meters wide. It is built of large cubic stones.
History
It is not proven whether the castle was built by the Crusaders or the Ayyubids. Probably the castle but was Nimrod to 1229 under the Ayyubid Emir al - Aziz Uthman, a brother of the Sultan al - Kamil, created to prevent an attack of the Fifth Crusade to Damascus. In subsequent years, the plant was expanded several times, mainly under Sultan Baybars I ( 1260-1277 ). The castle was used to monitor the road connection from Galilee to Damascus in the narrow valley between Mount Hermon and the Golan Heights, and to protect the city Banyas. In the context of the strong fighting the Crusaders with the Saracens, the castle often changed hands.
Already towards the end of the 13th century, the castle was lost, however, important because of the influence of the Crusaders was pushed back by the Saracens and on.
Only when the Ottomans conquered the land in 1517, the castle was again a certain importance as a luxurious prison for the Ottoman nobility. After this feature was abandoned in the 16th century, the castle fell into disrepair, to be completely destroyed by an earthquake in the 18th century.
Plant
The Baedeker travel guide "Palestine and Syria," called the Nimrod Castle over a hundred years ago "one of the best preserved and most magnificent castles in Syria " (1904: 229), which at that time under Syria a company controlled by the Ottomans cultural landscape (including the present-day Israel and Jordan ) has been understood.
Today, the fortress of the Israeli authority for nature and nature reserves is managed. Visitors can explore the exposed and restored parts of the fortress.