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| Nimrod's Fortress
Also
known as the Castle of Subeibeh,
Kul'at-es-Subeibeh, and Castle of Banias.
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Source: Galilee and the Jordan, p. 133. |
Kulat es-Subeibeh
(Castle of Baneas)
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A little more than one hour from Bāniās is the great castle of Subeibeh . . . .
This has been one of the strongest fortresses in the East. . . . Its situation
is remarkable, and from its broken walls one looks across the Hūleh Plain to the
hills of Galilee in the west, while at his feet the mountain-slope descends in
terraces that are covered with oaks and olive-trees. The castle is not far from
one thousand feet long by about three hundred feet in width, and the walls at
some points are even yet one hundred feet high. The natural approach to it is
from the east, while it is well-nigh inaccessible from the south, west, and
north. On the north side the mountain, for six hundred feet below the castle,
presents an almost perpendicular wall before the bottom of the ravine is
reached. The strength of the position has been greatly augmented by the skill
and labour of man, until this might appropriately be called the Gibraltar of
Palestine. (Source:
Picturesque Palestine, vol. 2, p. 119.) |
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Mount Hermon from the Castle |
Source:
Earthly Footsteps
of the Man of Galilee, p. 211. |
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The Castle of Baneas, or, to give it its
proper name, Subeibeh, is among the
most imposing buildings in Palestine. Others,
like the Temple of Jerusalem and the Mosque of
Hebron, have more historic and sacred interest
attached to them; but in commanding situation,
extent, and strength, Subeibeh is
unrivalled. It crowns an isolated peak, which
rises at least fifteen hundred feet above the
town, and is the most conspicuous object in
the neighbourhood. . . . The eastern end of
the site is much higher than the western, and
advantage has been taken of this to form a
strong citadel, capable of separate defence.
The access to it even now is a work of no
little difficulty. There is a deep moat hewn
in the rock across the front of it, and within
the moat is a lofty and strong wall, thus
effectually shutting it off from the rest of
the fortress. This inner citadel is the best
preserved part of the castle, the walls and
exterior towers being in places almost
perfect. Within are vaulted chambers still
habitable; and there is a small building with
columns, which may have been a chapel in
medięval times, when a Crusading garrison
occupied the citadel. (Source: Galilee and
the Jordan,
pp. 132, 135.) |
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Source:
Earthly Footsteps
of the Man of Galilee, p. 209. |
Stairway to Tower of
Castle
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An ample supply of water was secured for the garrison by huge cisterns hewn in
the rock, both within the citadel and outside. . . . I was informed by shepherds
who take up their abode in the castle, and pen their sheep and goats in it
during part of the hot season, that they have never known the water in the
cisterns to be exhausted; and certainly I found most of them well-nigh full
during both my visits, one of which was made in the month of July. The belief is
that they are supplied by subterranean channels from the adjoining hills, where
springs are abundant. The cisterns are mostly deep, unnecessarily so, as I
thought, if only intended to collect and retain surface water. . . . The
solidity of its walls alone has prevented that utter ruin which we have noticed
in other towns of Galilee. Had it not been for the earthquakes, which have
committed such fearful ravages on the towns and villages of this district, the
Castle of Subeibeh might still have remained perfect almost as when built; but
no strength of wall can resist the terrible shock of an earthquake. (Source:
Galilee and the Jordan, pp. 135-36.) |
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Nimrod’s Fortress, Distant View |
Source: Matson Collection. |
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The path up to it is steep, rugged, and
very difficult. It took me a full hour of
painful climbing on a strong and sure-footed
Arab horse to reach the gate. . . . As seen
from the plain of the Jordan on the west, and
from the opposite ridge of Naphtali, the
castle appears to stand on the apex of a
conical peak; but on reaching the top I found
that it occupies the culminating point of a
narrow ridge, which is joined by a lower ridge
to the mountain chain on the east. The only
practicable road to it from Baneas leads
diagonally up the southern declivity of the
hill, then along the summit of the narrow
ridge, then up a zigzag path among huge
fragments of rock and thickets of hawthorn and
prickly oak and holly to the foot of the
eastern tower, then along a ledge of rock
which skirts the southern base of the
ramparts, exposed at all points to missiles
thrown from above. We finally reach a flight
of stone steps leading up to a portal in a
round tower at the south-west corner. There is
but one entrance, and it is so placed as to be
practically inaccessible so long as the
fortress is held by an active garrison.
(Source: Galilee and the Jordan, p. 132.) |
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Source: Matson Collection. |
Nimrod’s Fortress,
Inside View
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The early history of the Castle of Subeibeh is unknown. There is no notice of it
before the time of the Crusades. The first record I can find is that it was
captured by the Christian host in the beginning of the twelfth century. . . .
Its position commanding the city of Baneas, and the great road from the rich
valley of the Jordan to Damascus, made its possession of great strategical
value. . . . Subsequent to its capture by the Crusaders it passed through the
customary varied fortunes of Syrian strongholds—now taken by Moslems, now by
Christians, each destroying, repairing, or rebuilding, as best suited their
purpose. Nureddīn, father of the more famous and better-known Saladin, took it
by storm in 1163; and thenceforth the Crescent waved over its battlements, until
it was abandoned in the seventeenth century. Since then it has been unoccupied,
except occasionally and temporarily by a few goatherds. (Source: Galilee and
the Jordan,
p. 136.) |
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See
Huleh Valley,
Jordan
River Sources,
Damascus,
or
Paul in Damascus |
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