Nimrod Fortress

Southwestern tower.

Nimrod Fortress National Park is located in the Golan Heights at the foot of Mount Hermon. Nimrod's Castle is the largest remaining castle in Israel from the Middle Ages. The Castle was constructed within three years due to the arrival of the Crusaders and was later expanded. Its strategic location was chosen along the road through the Hula Valley leading to Damascus on the steepest point in the region. However, the Mongol invasion of Syria and the Holy land brought destruction to the fortress. Eventually, the Mongols were stopped and the Crusaders surrendered, resulting in their final ejection from the Holy Land.

Southwestern tower.

Western tower.

The long narrow structure follows the topography of the site, with the width varying accordingly (50 m to 150 m), and is 420 m long. Additionally, there were three original entrance gates - two on the south and one on the west. About a quarter of the area occupied is the keep, with the rest including the lower courtyard and its various buildings, walls and towers.

The large reservoir.

There is a large reservoir (9 W x 25 L  x 7 H metres) that is fed rainwater via channels that have been destroyed. On the northern side there are stairs that descend into the reservoir and another access point in the southern wall that was added by shepherds. Furthermore, there are water cisterns in the keep, a public drinking fountain, and a large pool outside the fortress to collect rainwater.

The "beautiful tower" - vaulted roof.

The "beautiful tower".

Currently, there are three ways to enter the fortress when visiting: via northwest tower (staircase), the service road, and from the cashier's booth if you are a hiker. The entrance of the first two options are near the parking lot and the trail is not very difficult.

The northwest tower - shifted stone from an earthquake.