List of Crusader castles
Encyclopedia
This is a list of castle
s in the eastern Mediterranean
and Middle East
, founded or occupied during the crusades
.
Turkey (formerly Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia
Castle
A castle is a type of fortified structure built in Europe and the Middle East during the Middle Ages by European nobility. Scholars debate the scope of the word castle, but usually consider it to be the private fortified residence of a lord or noble...
s in the eastern Mediterranean
Mediterranean Sea
The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean surrounded by the Mediterranean region and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Anatolia and Europe, on the south by North Africa, and on the east by the Levant...
and Middle East
Middle East
The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
, founded or occupied during the crusades
Crusades
The Crusades were a series of religious wars, blessed by the Pope and the Catholic Church with the main goal of restoring Christian access to the holy places in and near Jerusalem...
.
Cyprus
- Kyrenia CastleKyrenia CastleKyrenia Castle , at the east end of the old harbour in Kyrenia is a 16th-century castle built by the Venetians over a previous Crusader fortification. Within its walls lies a twelfth-century chapel showing reused late Roman capitals, and the Shipwreck Museum.-History:Kyrenia has been inhabited...
- St. Hilarion CastleSt. Hilarion CastleThe Saint Hilarion Castle lies on the Kyrenia mountain range, in Cyprus. It was originally a monastery, named after a monk who allegedly chose the site for his hermitage. Later fortified by Byzantines, it formed the defense of the island with the castles of Buffavento and Kantara against Arab...
- BuffaventoBuffaventoBuffavento Castle is located in Northern Cyprus. It means in Italian “Defier of the Winds”. The winds can reach quite high speeds in its exposed location at 950 metres above sea level....
Castle - Kantara CastleKantara CastleThe Kantara Castle is the easternmost of the castles situated on the Kyrenia mountain range in Cyprus. Laying at 630 metres above sea level it is well positioned to control the entrances to Karpass Peninsula and Mesaoria plain....
- LarnacaLarnacaLarnaca, is the third largest city on the southern coast of Cyprus after Nicosia and Limassol. It has a population of 72,000 and is the island's second largest commercial port and an important tourist resort...
Castle - LimassolLimassolLimassol is the second-largest city in Cyprus, with a population of 228,000 . It is the largest city in geographical size, and the biggest municipality on the island. The city is located on Akrotiri Bay, on the island's southern coast and it is the capital of Limassol District.Limassol is the...
Castle - Kolossi CastleKolossi CastleKolossi Castle is a crusader stronghold a few kilometers outside the city of Limassol on the island of Cyprus. It held great strategic importance and contained production of sugar, one of Cyprus' main exports in the Middle Ages...
- Paphos CastlePaphos CastlePaphos Castle is located on the edge of Paphos harbour. It was originally built as a Byzantine fort to protect the harbour. It was then rebuilt by the Lusignans in the thirteenth century after being destroyed in the earthquake of 1222. In 1570 it was dismantled by the Venetians. After capturing the...
- FamagustaFamagustaFamagusta is a city on the east coast of Cyprus and is capital of the Famagusta District. It is located east of Nicosia, and possesses the deepest harbour of the island.-Name:...
Israel
- ArsurArsufArsuf also known as Arsur or Apollonia, was an ancient city and fortress located in Israel, about 15 kilometres north of modern Tel Aviv, on a cliff above the Mediterranean Sea. The city site, Tel Arsuf, was intensively excavated from 1994...
, also known as Arsuf or Apollonia - BelveerCastel-in Italy:Castel, a short form of castello , is a very common component in Italian place names:- See also :* Castells, human towers traditionally built during festivals in many places in Catalonia...
- Belvoir CastleBelvoir Fortress (Israel)Belvoir Fortress is a Crusader fortress in northern Israel, on a hill south of the Sea of Galilee. Gilbert of Assailly, Grand Master of the Knights Hospitaller, began construction of the castle in 1168. The restored fortress is located in Belvoir National Park...
- Beth GibelinBeit GuvrinBeit Guvrin may refer to:* The ancient city of Maresha, now an archaeological museum, in Israel* The adjacent Roman and Byzantine city of Eleutheropolis, referred to as Beit Guvrin in Jewish scripture.* Beit Guvrin, Israel, a Kibbutz founded in 1949....
- Bet Shean
- Hurvat BurgataBurgataBurgata is a moshav in central Israel. Located in the Sharon plain on Highway 57 between Netanya and Tulkarm, it falls under the jurisdiction of Hefer Valley Regional Council. In 2006 it had a population of 929....
- Caesarea
- CafarletCafarletCafarlet is a fortress that was located in the village of Kfar Lam, built in the 8th or 9th century. Today, it is located inside moshav HaBonim, Israel.-External links:*...
, also known as HaBonim Fortress - Casal des PlainsAzorAzor is a small town in the Tel Aviv District of Israel, on the old Jaffa-Jerusalem road southeast of Tel Aviv. Established in 1948, Azor was granted local council status in 1951. It was named for the ancient city of Azur , preserved in the name of the Arab village of Yazur...
- Casal Imbert
- Castellum RegisMi'ilya-Bibliography:*Abu-‘Uqsa, Hanaa : Hadashot Arkheologiyot – Excavations and Surveys in Israel, No. 117.*Conder, Claude Reignier and H.H. Kitchener : . London:Committee of the Palestine Exploration Fund. vol 1, London,...
- Château PèlerinChateau PelerinChâteau Pèlerin, also known as Atlit Castle and Castle Pilgrim, is located on the northern coast of Israel about south of Haifa. The Knights Templar began building it in 1218 during the Fifth Crusade. One of the major Crusader fortresses, it could support up to 4,000 troops in siege conditions. ...
, also known as Atlit Castle and Castle Pilgrim - Le DestroitLe DestroitLe Destroit is a medieval fortress, located near the town of Atlit, Israel....
- LatrunLatrunLatrun is a strategic hilltop in the Ayalon Valley in Israel overlooking the road to Jerusalem. It is located 25 kilometers west of Jerusalem and 14 kilometers southeast of Ramla.-Etymology:...
- MirabelMigdal AfekMigdal Afek Migdal Afek Migdal Afek (also Migdal Tsedek is a national park near Rosh HaAyin, Israel. On the site are the ruins of Mirabel, a Crusader castle. Before the establishment of the state, the Palestinian Arab village of Majdal Yaba was located in this area....
, also known as Migdal Tsedek - MontfortMontfort CastleMontfort is a ruined crusader castle in the Upper Galilee region in northern Israel, about 22 miles northeast of the city of Haifa and 10 miles south of the border with Lebanon....
- Tower of DavidTower of DavidThe Tower of David is an ancient citadel located near the Jaffa Gate entrance to the Old City of Jerusalem.Built to strengthen a strategically weak point in the Old City's defenses, the citadel that stands today was constructed during the 2nd century BC and subsequently destroyed and rebuilt by,...
- TzipporiTzipporiTzippori , also known as Sepphoris, Dioceserea and Saffuriya is located in the central Galilee region, north-northwest of Nazareth, in modern-day Israel...
- Ateret FortressBattle of Jacob's FordJerusalem has been and is considered by many to be one of the holiest cities in the world. For this reason, Christians and Muslims fought for control of the Holy City over several centuries. Around 1095, Christians from Europe marched to the Holy Land to retake control of Jerusalem. By 1099, the...
- Yehiam FortressYehiamYehiam founded on November 26, 1946, is a Kibbutz located in the western Upper Galilee region of Israel - about 10 miles due east of the coastal town of Nahariya and five miles south of the border with Lebanon...
Jordan
- KerakKerakKerak Castle is a large crusader castle located in Kerak in Jordan. It is one of the largest crusader castles in the Levant.Construction of the castle began in the 1140s, under Pagan, the butler of Fulk of Jerusalem. The Crusaders called it Crac des Moabites or "Karak in Moab", as it is frequently...
- MontrealMontreal (Crusader castle)Montreal is a Crusader castle on the eastern side of the Arabah, perched on the side of a rocky, conical mountain, looking out over fruit trees below...
- Vaux MoiseVaux MoiseVaux Moise, also Li Vaux Moise is a small crusader castle close to Wadi Musa in the former Kingdom of Jerusalem . It was founded by Baldwin I of Jerusalem as an outpost of the larger crusader castle at Montreal....
Lebanon
- Beaufort CastleBeaufort Castle, LebanonBeaufort or Belfort The castle was named "bel fort" or "beau fort" by the Crusaders who occupied the castle in the twelfth century. Its Arabic name Qala'at ash-Shqif means Castle of the High Rock...
- ToronToronToron, now Tibnin or Tebnine in southern Lebanon, was a major Crusader castle, built in the Lebanon mountains on the road from Tyre to Damascus....
- Byblos CastleByblos CastleByblos Castle is a castle in Byblos, Lebanon. It was built by the Crusaders in the 12th century from indigenous limestone and the remains of Roman structures. The finished structure was surrounded by a moat. Saladin captured the town and castle in 1188 and dismantled the walls in 1190...
- Citadel of Raymond de Saint-GillesCitadel of Raymond de Saint-GillesThe Citadel of Raymond de Saint-Gilles, also known as Qala'at Sanjil in Arabic, is a citadel and fort in Tripoli, Lebanon. It takes its name from Raymond de Saint-Gilles, the Count of Toulouse and Crusader commander who started its construction on a hilltop outside Tripoli in 1103 in order to lay...
- Sidon Sea CastleSidon Sea CastleSidon Sea Castle is a castle in Sidon, Lebanon. It was built by the Crusaders in 1228 on a small island connected to the mainland by a causeway. A climb to the top leads to the roof where there is a good view of the port and the old part of the city.Today the castle consists primarily of two...
Syria
- Chastel BlancChastel BlancChastel Blanc was built by the Knights Templar during the Crusades upon prior fortifications. Constructed on the middle hill of Safita's three hills, it offers a commanding view of the surrounding countryside, and was a major part of the network of Crusader fortifications in the area...
- Krak des ChevaliersKrak des ChevaliersKrak des Chevaliers , also Crac des Chevaliers, is a Crusader castle in Syria and one of the most important preserved medieval castles in the world. The site was first inhabited in the 11th century by a settlement of Kurds; as a result it was known as Hisn al Akrad, meaning the "Castle of the...
- MargatMargatMargat, also known as Marqab from the Arabic Qalaat al-Marqab is a castle near Baniyas, Syria, which was a Crusader fortress and one of the major strongholds of the Knights Hospitaller...
, also known as Marqab - Masyaf CastleMasyaf CastleMasyaf Castle is located in the town of Masyaf in Hama Governorate, Syria. The castle dates to the Aramaic Era , with the latest building phases dating to the Ismaili occupation in the 12th century. The citadel became famous as the stronghold from which Rashid ad-Din Sinan, known as the Old Man of...
- Saladdin CastleSaladdin CastleThe Citadel of Salah Ed-Din is a castle in Syria. It is located c. 30 km east of Latakia, in high mountainous terrain, on a ridge between two deep ravines and surrounded by forest. The site has been fortified since at least the mid 10th century...
, also known as Saone - TartousTartousTartus is a city on the Mediterranean coast of Syria. Tartus is the second largest port city in Syria , and the largest city in Tartus Governorate. The population size is 98,000 .- Geography and climate :...
Turkey (formerly Armenian Kingdom of CiliciaArmenian Kingdom of CiliciaThe Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia , also known as the Cilician Armenia, Kingdom of Cilician Armenia or New Armenia, was an independent principality formed during the High Middle Ages by Armenian refugees fleeing the Seljuk invasion of Armenia...
)
- BagrasBagrasBagras or Baghras is the name of a town and nearby castle in İskenderun district of present-day Turkey, in the Amanus Mountains.The castle, properly known as Gastun provided a base for a force to cover the Syrian Gates, the passes between İskenderun and Antioch...
- YılankaleYilankaleYılankale, Yilan, Ilan-kale, or Castle of the Snakes is a large medieval crusader castle located east of Adana in modern Turkey, built on a rocky hill overlooking the east bank of the Ceyhan river...
, or Castle of Snakes - Namrun Kalesi (Lampron)
- ServantikarServantikarServantikar is a medieval castle of the former Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia in today's Osmaniye Province of Turkey...
- AmoudaAmoudaThe castle of Amouda is a crusader castle in the Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia . The castle was granted to the Teutonic Knights in 1212 and rebuilt by them in the 13th century to serve as their local headquarter in Armenia. It also earned revenue for the Teutonic Order from the surrounding land...
- Ayasuluk Castle, SelçukSelçukSelçuk is the central town of Selçuk district, İzmir Province in Turkey, 2 km northeast of Ephesus.Its original Greek name, Agios Theológos referred to John the Theologian. Under the Ottoman Empire, it was known as Ayasoluk...