When one thinks of ancient castles and fortresses, the countries that usually come to mind are England, Ireland, France, Germany, and so forth. Many people don’t know that the Crusaders built castles and fortresses in the Holy Land during their bloody Medieval campaigns to wrest control of the land from Muslims. Several of those sites can still be seen today in the modern State of Israel.
Quote: “Israel is a home to a number of Crusader castles built mostly by the Roman Catholics during the power struggle between the two religious communities [Christians and Muslims] over the Holy Land. The castles were tactically built over the hills near significant trade routes giving them the power to have a control over the state’s economy. The sturdy stone castles built during the violent times of the 12th century still stand strong in Israel. Some of them are major archeological sites where many artifacts from the Byzantine period have been uncovered.”
Sources: Wikipedia (introduction), traveltriangle.com (quotation)
Learn more about the Crusades on Wikipedia. ►
Read “8 Magnificent Castles In Israel That Speak Volumes Of Its Rich History” Note: One is actually in Jordan. ►
Watch “Crusader castles and fortified cities of Israel” [1:45]. ►
Watch “Inside an Ancient Crusader Castle in Akko, Israel” [10:58]. ►
Watch “Israel’s Highest Castle Between Lebanon and Syria” [5:54]. ►
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