History
The Castle was built after the death in 1193 CE of Salah a-Din, founder of the Ayyubid dynasty. According to the historian of the ruler of Damascus at that time, Nimrod Castle was built after Al-Aziz Othman, son of a nephew of Salah a-Din, assumed control of the region in 1218-1232. That fact is reinforced in the inscriptions decorating the walls of the fortress, bearing the name of the local ruler.
The castle was built hastily, since in1227 the army of the German Kaiser Friedrich II arrived in the Holy Land and renewed the Crusader threat over the Ayyubids. Due to pressure of time, the Ayyubids used an economical method of building and the castle was erected within only three years - 1227-1230 CE. At first a small fortress was built on the eastern, higher part of the slope, and subsequently the castle was expanded and built also on the western part. The location of the building was given a lot of thought, with the aim of setting it on one of the most strategic points on the road leading from the Hula Valley and the slopes of the Golan in the direction of Damascus in Syria. It is built on the steepest point in the region, overlooking the road passing over the southern, relatively moderate slope, which can be observed from the direction of the keep. All along the road ascending from the Hula Valley to Damascus, no other steep ascents are commanded so prominently by the cliff dominating them as does Nimrod Castle.
In addition to Nimrod Castle, new fortresses were also built in this period at Ba'al Bek in the Lebanon Valley, at Batsra in the Bashan region and at Ajlun in Gil'ad. In 1253 CE the Crusader forces, commanded by Louis IX, King of France, attempted to conquer the Banyas and Nimrod Castle, but failed.
Ayyubid control came to an end in 1260 CE, when the Mongols conquered the region. Their rule did not last long, and in that very year the Mamelukes faced them in a decisive battle at En Harod (the En Jalud battle). In this battle the Mameluke general Baibars overpowered the Mongol forces, who left Syria, and the entire region passed to Mameluke control.
Up to his death in 1277, Baibars expanded his kingdom while destroying the coastal cities and renovating the fortresses inside the country, including Nimrod Castle. In this period Nimrod Castle was renovated and expanded and rebuilt on a higher level of quality, that was expressed by first rate building materials and impressive architecture. Later on Baibars transferred control of the entire area and the fortress to his loyal assistant Bilich, who continued with the renovation of the fortress and added towers. After Bilich's death and the expulsion of the Crusaders from the Holy Land in 1291 CE, the importance of the fortress declined and the construction on it ceased.
The Ottoman rulers used the fortress as a prison and in the course of the 16th century it was completely abandoned and became a shelter for shepherds in the region. In October 1759 there was an earthquake that affected the entire area (the cities of Safed and Ba'al Bek were severely damaged), and among others - Nimrod Castle. Despite the force of the earthquake, the majority of the castle's towers did not suffer any serious damage. Subsequently, the castle was abandoned until modern times. In the 1920s, the French army used Nimrod Castle while suppressing the Arab and the Druze revolts. In this period the French placed at the Castle a battery of cannon, and for that purpose they broke a hole in the western wall that serves as the entrance to the castle to this day. Later, during the 6-day War, the castle was used by the Syrians as an artillery observation point, due to which the facade of the castle was damaged by the IDF's air force. After that period the military battles in the region ceased. The castle was rehabilitated, renovated and studied. Among other things ancient inscriptions in Arabic were found that shed light on the building history of the castle.
Nimrod Fortress in Syria
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