Ibelin (castle)
Ibelin was a crusader castle in the Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem at the town of Ibelin, later known as Yibna, and today southeast of the modern Israeli city of Yavne. Very little remains of the castle, but its ruins have been located in the center of Yibna, today known as "Tel Yavne".[1]
It was the
History
Ibelin was built in 1141, one of four castles on the southern border of the kingdom, between the crusader city of Jaffa and the Fatimid city of Ascalon.[2] Ibelin, and the other castles, were built to guard against attacks from Ascalon, to provide shelter for the people when attacked, and to serve as a base for crusader attacks of Fatimids.[3]
Ascalon was a threat to the kingdom during the first half of the 12th century; the Fatimids staged raids from the city in most years aimed at Jaffa and the surrounding country, while its strong defences and harbour made it impervious to crusader attack. The city could be resupplied by sea in the event of a siege, and the garrison was relieved regularly. The construction of Ibelin and the other castles went some way to alleviate this situation, leading to a successful campaign in 1153 which saw the fall of Ascalon to the crusaders.
The construction of Ibelin and the other castles had a number of benefits; William of Tyre wrote that 'the people began to place reliance on the castles and suburban places grew up around them; the whole district became safer because it was inhabited, and a more plentiful supply of food for the surrounding area became possible'.[3]
The importance of Ibelin and the other forts declined in 1153 with the fall of Ascalon to a siege and assault by King Fulk and the crusader army, and by the building of fortifications further south at
However, in 1187 Ibelin fell to Saladin's army when he conquered the kingdom after the battle of Hattin, and the Ibelin family fell back to their other holdings in Cyprus and at Beirut. Ibelin was left in ruins, and was not rebuilt.Construction
Little is known of Ibelin's layout, as it has not survived. However, Ibelin and the other castles around Ascalon were built as a group, and so bear similarities. Ibelin is reported to have been a square enclosure, with four towers, which is comparable to Castel Arnaldi, Beth Gibelin, and Blanchegarde, of which some ruins survive.
The castles were built on the initiative of the then king,
In 2005, the gate room of the castle was unearthed during archaeologic works.[4]
The castle site
Ibelin was built at the top of the mound of Yibna, itself marking the ruins of ancient Jamnia.[1] When it was itself ruined it became part of the mound, now known as Tel Yavne. Some unpublished archeological work has been done in 2005 at the Crusader-period part of the tell, headed by Dan Bahat.[1]
Notes
References
- Hugh Kennedy: Crusader Castles (1994, reprint 2001) Cambridge University Press ISBN 0 521 79913 9