The Crusader fortress of Belvoir, located on a hill of the Naphtali plateau, 20 km. south of the Sea of Galilee and about 500 meters above the Jordan Valley, was originally a part of the feudal estate of a French nobleman named Velos who lived in Tiberias. The Crusader states, c. ... The Sea of Galilee with the Jordan River flowing out of it to the south and into the Dead Sea Kineret redirects here; for the Amgen drug having this tradename, see Anakinra The Sea of Galilee is Israels largest freshwater lake, approximately 53 kilometers (33 miles) in circumference, about... Northern part of the Great Rift Valley as seen from space (NASA) The Jordan River The Jordan River (Hebrew: נהר הירדן nehar hayarden, Arabic: نهر الأردن nahr al-urdun) is a river in Southwest Asia flowing through the Great Rift Valley into the Dead Sea. ... Tiberias in 1862, the ruins reminiscent of its ancient heritage. ...

Belvoir from southwest

Velos sold it to the Order of the Hospitallers in 1168 and they erected a strong concentric castle on the site. The castle was highly symmetric, with a rectangular outer wall, reinforced with square towers at the corners and on each side, surrounding a square inner enclosure with four corner towers and one on the west wall. Vaults on the inner side of both walls provided storage and protection during bombardments. Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (992x744, 392 KB) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Belvoir Fortress (Israel) Metadata This file contains additional information, probably added from the digital camera or scanner used... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (992x744, 392 KB) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Belvoir Fortress (Israel) Metadata This file contains additional information, probably added from the digital camera or scanner used... The Knights Hospitaller (the or Knights of Malta or Knights of Rhodes) is a tradition which began as a Benedictine nursing Order founded in the 11th century based in the Holy Land, but soon became a militant Christian Chivalric Order under its own charter, and was charged with the care... // Events December 22 - Afraid that Old Cairo would be captured by the Crusaders, its Caliph orders the city set afire. ...

The fortress of Belvoir served its purpose as a major obstacle to the Muslim goal of invading the Crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem from the east. It withstood the attack of the Muslim forces in 1180. A Muslim (Arabic: مسلم, Turkish: Müslüman, Persian and Urdu: مسلمان, Bosnian: Musliman) is an adherent of Islam. ... Official language Latin, French, Italian, and other western languages; Greek and Arabic also widely spoken Capital Jerusalem, later Acre Constitution Various laws, so-called Assizes of Jerusalem The Kingdom of Jerusalem was a Christian kingdom established in the Levant in 1099 by the First Crusade. ... Events April 13 - Frederick Barbarossa issues the Gelnhausen Charter November 18 - France Emperor Antoku succeds Emperor Takakura as emperor of Japan Afonso I of Portugal is taken prisoner by Ferdinand II of Leon Artois is annexed by France Prince Mochihito amasses a large army and instigates the Genpei War between...

Following the victory of the Muslim army under Saladin over the Crusaders at the battle of the Horns of Hittin, Belvoir was besieged. The siege lasted a year and a half, until the defenders surrendered on 5 January 1189. Artistic representation of Saladin. ... Combatants Ayyubids Kingdom of Jerusalem Commanders Saladin Guy of Lusignan Raymond III of Tripoli Strength Est. ... January 5 is the 5th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Events January 21 - Philip II of France and Richard I of England begin to assemble troops to wage the Third Crusade September 3- Richard I of England is crowned as king of England. ...

The fortifications of Belvoir were dismantled in 1217-18 by the Muslim rulers who feared the reconquest of the fortress by the Crusaders.

In 1240 Belvoir was ceded to the Crusaders by agreement, however lack of funds did not permit them to restore the fortifications and it returned to Muslim control. Events Batu Khan and the Golden Horde sack the Ruthenian city of Kyiv Births Pope Benedict XI Deaths April 11 - Llywelyn ap Iorwerth, also known as Llywelyn The Great Prince of Gwynedd Monarchs/Presidents Aragon - James I King of Aragon and count of Barcelona (reigned from 1213 to 1276) Castile...

In Hebrew it is known as Kohav Hayarden, meaning - Star of the Jordan which preserves the name of Kohav - a Jewish village which existed nearby during the Roman and Byzantine periods. The Muslims called it Kaukab al-Hawa meaning "Star of the Winds" -- representing the strong winds on this hill top. The Roman Empire is the name given to both the domain obtained by the city-state of Rome and also the corresponding phase of that civilization, characterized by an autocratic form of government. ... Byzantine Empire at its greatest extent c. ...

References

Kennedy, Hugh (2000). Crusader Castles. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-79913-9. 

External links

• Belvoir Castle (Israel) at the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs site.
• Cochav Hsysrden (Belvoir) at the Israeli Parks Authority site.
• Belvoir on Google Maps