| Yehi'am Fortress National Park | |
|---|---|
|
Part of the fortress Part of the fortress | |
| Location | North District, Israel |
| Nearest city | Yehiam |
| Coordinates | 32°59′39″N 35°13′19″E / 32.9941°N 35.2219°ECoordinates: 32°59′39″N 35°13′19″E / 32.9941°N 35.2219°E |
| http://www.parks.org.il/parks/ParksAndReserves/yehim/Pages/default.aspx | |
Yehi'am Fortress National Park is a Israeli national park in the western Upper Galilee on the grounds of Kibbutz Yehi'am, whose main attraction are the ruins of a hilltop castle. The structure is based on the Crusader-time Iudyn Castle built by the Teutonic Order after 1220, destroyed by the Mamluk sultan Baibars sometime between 1268-1271, rebuilt and expanded by the Bedouin ruler Dhaher al-Omar as Qal'at Jiddin (Jiddin Castle) in the 1760s and destroyed again by Ahmed Jezzar Pasha around 1775.[1][2] The ruined fortress, known as Khirbat Jiddin (lit. "ruins of Jiddin"), was later inhabited by Bedouin tribes. The establishment of a kibbutz in 1946 is described on the Kibbutz Yehi'am page.
The buildings include a watch tower with a lookout platform, mosque, and large vaulted hall.[3]
The 1948 trenches laid around the castle can also be visited.
Archaeological finds in the park but outside the castle precinct include the remains of a Roman fort, a Byzantine monastery, burial caves, stones inscribed with crosses and fragments of mosaic.[4]
See also[]
- Tourism in Israel
- Khirbat Jiddin
- Kibbutz Yehiam
References[]
- ↑ Pringle, Denys (1997). Secular buildings in the Crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem: an archaeological Gazetter. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0521 46010 7. http://books.google.ca/books?id=-_NbE5obqRMC.
- ↑ Pringle, R. D., A. Petersen, M. Dow and C. Singer (1994). "Qalʿat Jiddin: A castle of the Crusader and Ottoman periods in Galilee.".
- ↑ "http://www.attractions-in-israel.com/galilee/galilee-national-parks/yehiam-fortress-national-park-%E2%80%93-yehiam-crusader-fortress-protects-settlers-in-1948/". Attractions in Israel. http://www.attractions-in-israel.com/galilee/galilee-national-parks/yehiam-fortress-national-park-%E2%80%93-yehiam-crusader-fortress-protects-settlers-in-1948/. Retrieved 30 July 2013.
- ↑ Help from above
External links[]
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The original article can be found at Yehi'am Fortress National Park and the edit history here.