- Type
- Ruin
- Origins
- 1228 · 13th century per Wikidata: founding, first mention or construction
- Coordinates
- 33.0447°, 35.2261°
History
The Teutonic Order bought the land in 1220 and around 1228 began building the castle, known in German as Starkenberg. The fortress on a narrow ridge above the Keziv stream became the order's chief seat in the Holy Land, housing its archives and treasury. In 1266 Sultan Baybars tried and failed to take it, but in 1271, after a siege of several weeks, the garrison surrendered. The knights withdrew to Acre with their archives, and the victors pulled down parts of the walls. In 1926 the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York excavated the site.
What to see
Hiking trails lead to the ruins through the Nahal Keziv nature reserve, among oaks and rocky slopes. On the ridge are the remains of a tower, vaulted halls and the curtain walls, as well as a rock-cut ditch. The castle looks out over the wooded gorge and, on a clear day, as far as the Mediterranean.
Wikipedia article Wikidata Q14201945
Popularity: articles about this site in 23 Wikimedia projects (Wikipedia language editions and others).