Belvoir Castle (Israel)
Location | Israel |
---|---|
Region | Northern District |
Coordinates | 32°35′44″N 35°31′17″E / 32.59556°N 35.52139°E |
Site notes | |
Condition | Ruin |
Belvoir Castle, also called Coquet by the
Strategic location
Standing 500 metres (1,600 ft) above the
History
Roman and Byzantine periods
The Hebrew name, Kochav Hayarden, meaning 'Star of the Jordan', preserves the name of Kochava – a Jewish village which existed nearby during the Roman and Byzantine periods.[5] In the Crusader church, there is a repurposed basalt stone that bears an Aramaic donation inscription using the Jewish script. It originally adorned a synagogue lintel.[6]
Crusader period
The Knights Hospitaller purchased the site from Velos, a French nobleman, in 1168.[3]
As soon as the Knights Hospitaller purchased the land, they began construction of castle. While Gilbert of Assailly was Grand Master of the Knights Hospitaller, the order gained around thirteen new castles, among which Belvoir was the most important.
Following Saladin's victory over the Crusaders at the Battle of Hattin, Belvoir was besieged. The siege lasted a year and a half, until the defenders surrendered on 5 January 1189. An Arab governor occupied it until 1219 when the Ayyubid ruler in Damascus had it slighted. In 1241 Belvoir was ceded to the Franks, who controlled it until 1263.[8]
Ottoman and British Mandate periods
During the Ottoman period it became an Arab village,
Israel
The Arab buildings on the site were demolished during archaeological excavation by the Israeli authorities between 1963 and 1968.
Architecture
After the end of the Second World War, the study of Crusader castles experienced a lull. Syria, for instance, declared independence in 1946 and had little money to spare for archaeology. In Israel, the study of Crusader castles developed under
Belvoir is an early example of the concentric castle plan, which was widely used in later crusader castles. The castle was highly symmetric, with a rectangular outer wall, reinforced with square towers at the corners and on each side, surrounding a square inner enclosure with four corner towers and one on the west wall. According to historian H. J. A. Sire, the principle of concentric design used at Belvoir "was to influence castle design for the next several centuries."[7] Vaults on the inner side of both walls provided storage and protection during bombardments. The castle was surrounded by a moat 20 metres (66 ft) wide and 12 metres (39 ft) deep.[2]
See also
- Belvoir disambiguation page
- Archaeology of Israel
- National parks of Israel
- Tourism in Israel
References
- Notes
- ISBN 0521460107. Retrieved 24 April 2024.
- ^ a b National Parks Authority of Israel
- ^ a b "Belvoir: A Crusader Fortress Overlooking the Jordan Valley". Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs. 17 November 1999. Retrieved 2011-11-25.
- ^ Kennedy 1994, p. 59
- ISBN 9783886184125.
- ISBN 978-3-11-071574-3, retrieved 2024-02-07
- ^ a b Sire 1994, p. 17
- ^ a b Colum Hourihane (ed.),The Grove Encyclopedia of Medieval Art and Architecture, Oxford University Press, Vol. 2, 2012 p.298
- ^ Kennedy 1994, p. 8
- ^ Platt 1982, p. 46
- Bibliography
- Kennedy, Hugh (1994), Crusader Castles, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, ISBN 0-521-42068-7
- Platt, Colin (1982), The Castle in Medieval England and Wales, Secker & Warburg, ISBN 0-436-37555-9
- Sire, H. J. A. (1994), The Knights of Malta, New Haven: Yale University Press, ISBN 978-0-300-05502-3
External links
- Belvoir National Park - official site
- Cochav Hayarden (Belvoir) at the Israeli Parks Authority site.
- Photos of Belvoir castle