Ruins of Kochav HaYarden (Belvoir Fortress) in Israel
Rating: 8,4/10 (2960 votes)  The Belvoir fortress (the name in Hebrew is Kochav ha-Yarden) was founded in the XII century by the Hospitaller crusaders. Terrain for the construction of the citadel was chosen very well. From here, from a height of 312 meters above sea level, a wonderful scenic view and an excellent overview of the surroundings opens. Currently, only ruins remain of the fortress, but in ancient times it was a powerful defensive structure. The symmetrical high building of the Belvoir citadel had four corner towers, as well as one tower on the western wall. The vaults were designed to reliably protect soldiers from attacks by Muslim troops. Initially, the castle had several gates, and a bridge was thrown across the moat, 10 meters deep. In the middle of the ditch there was a powerful column designed to support the structure of the bridge. In the eastern part of the castle was the Barbicane watchtower. Like all architectural structures, the tower was built from partially cut stones. However, already in 1220 the fortress was destroyed and for many centuries was in an abandoned state. In 1966, archaeological work began here, during which many historical finds were discovered. Additionally, the period from 1966 to 1968 was the reconstruction of the fortress. And in 1994, a beautiful garden was laid out near Kochav a-Yarden, where they exhibited various sculptures. In the inner courtyard of the fortress are the remains of an ancient bathhouse, kitchen and laundry.  We also recommend reading Kromeriz Castle in the Czech Republic Topic: Ruins of Kochav HaYarden (Belvoir Fortress) in Israel. |
