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These are the Southern defenses of the great, medieval castle known as Nimrod fortress (Golan Heights, territory controlled by Israel but also claimed by Syria). It is one of the largest and best preserved medieval fortresses in the region – it was constructed in the 13th C. by the Muslim rulers of Damascus (most of the walls visible on this photo were built around 1230). Its principal role was to ensure the Muslim control over the Golan Heights and to secure and tax the main commercial route connecting Damascus to the East with Tyre to the West. In the crusader period, this land was a heavily contested, frontier territory that frequently changed hands between Christian and Islamic control. It is a high, elevated area (hence its name, ‘Heights’) which meant that whoever controlled it, could easily descent and pillage the surrounding, lower countryside – particularly Galilee and the outskirts of Damascus, all the way to the city gates. The Golan Heights are also rich in water which was (and remains to this day) a very valuable resource in the region. Those who controlled it could use its numerous springs to irrigate farmlands and produce surplus of food for export. Furthermore, frequent warfare depopulated local villages which meant that local, mountain forests were full of game to hunt: deer, boar, numerous species of birds as well as lions, leopards and Syrian bears.

At the peak of crusader power, the kings of Jerusalem managed to seize control and refortify the nearby city of Banias, which posed a direct threat to Damascus. These advances were eventually repealed and Banias was retaken, but the sultans were cautious to prevent such danger from ever happening again. The construction of Nimrod partially fulfilled this goal as no Latin army ever managed to breach its walls. The hopes for security, however, were not fully realized as soldiers stationed in the fortress could still see at a distance, the towers of another, crusader stronghold: the castle of Beaufort (in modern Lebanon) which still challenged the Islamic dominance over the Tyre-Damascus highway. To make matters worse, the weakened crusader states made an alliance with the Mongols who attacked Syria from the East and in 1260 their armies, assisted by Latin knights, conquered Damascus together with Nimrod for themselves!

Mongol control, however, proved short lived as soon, a brilliant Mamluk general, Baibars, retook the castle and played significant role in the destruction of the crusader states. The contest for Golan Heights was finally over and in the next centuries, the castle lost its importance. Today, however, its ancient strategic position is once again evident as, once again, Nimrod stands at a centre of a conflict between Jerusalem and Damascus. The castle once again marks a military frontier and the ancient road connecting it with Damascus and Tyre is blocked. When I visited it last week, there were numerous soldiers and tanks in the area and I could clearly hear the echoes of distant bombardment and machine gun firing in series. It was a truly terrible sound that created a surreal contrast with the beauty and calmness of the surrounding countryside….

Description

These are the Southern defenses of the great, medieval castle known as Nimrod fortress (Golan Heights, territory controlled by Israel but also claimed by Syria). It is one of the largest and best preserved medieval fortresses in the region – it was constructed in the 13th C. by the Muslim rulers of Damascus (most of the walls visible on this photo were built around 1230). Its principal role was to ensure the Muslim control over the Golan Heights and to secure and tax the main commercial route connecting Damascus to the East with Tyre to the West. In the crusader period, this land was a heavily contested, frontier territory that frequently changed hands between Christian and Islamic control. It is a high, elevated area (hence its name, ‘Heights’) which meant that whoever controlled it, could easily descent and pillage the surrounding, lower countryside – particularly Galilee and the outskirts of Damascus, all the way to the city gates. The Golan Heights are also rich in water which was (and remains to this day) a very valuable resource in the region. Those who controlled it could use its numerous springs to irrigate farmlands and produce surplus of food for export. Furthermore, frequent warfare depopulated local villages which meant that local, mountain forests were full of game to hunt: deer, boar, numerous species of birds as well as lions, leopards and Syrian bears.

At the peak of crusader power, the kings of Jerusalem managed to seize control and refortify the nearby city of Banias, which posed a direct threat to Damascus. These advances were eventually repealed and Banias was retaken, but the sultans were cautious to prevent such danger from ever happening again. The construction of Nimrod partially fulfilled this goal as no Latin army ever managed to breach its walls. The hopes for security, however, were not fully realized as soldiers stationed in the fortress could still see at a distance, the towers of another, crusader stronghold: the castle of Beaufort (in modern Lebanon) which still challenged the Islamic dominance over the Tyre-Damascus highway. To make matters worse, the weakened crusader states made an alliance with the Mongols who attacked Syria from the East and in 1260 their armies, assisted by Latin knights, conquered Damascus together with Nimrod for themselves!

Mongol control, however, proved short lived as soon, a brilliant Mamluk general, Baibars, retook the castle and played significant role in the destruction of the crusader states. The contest for Golan Heights was finally over and in the next centuries, the castle lost its importance. Today, however, its ancient strategic position is once again evident as, once again, Nimrod stands at a centre of a conflict between Jerusalem and Damascus. The castle once again marks a military frontier and the ancient road connecting it with Damascus and Tyre is blocked. When I visited it last week, there were numerous soldiers and tanks in the area and I could clearly hear the echoes of distant bombardment and machine gun firing in series. It was a truly terrible sound that created a surreal contrast with the beauty and calmness of the surrounding countryside….