Belvoir Attractions

High above the Jordan valley rise the ruins of this great Crusader castle, built by French Knights Hospitallers and named Belvoir for its view of the valley. Its Hebrew name is Kokhav HaYarden ("Star of the Jordan"). There are two routes to Belvoir. Coming from the north, turn off the Tiberias-Bet Shean road just beyond the Tavor valley (13km/8mi south of the Sea of Galilee) into a road on the right which winds its way up to the castle, 500m/1,650ft above the road. Alternatively, turn off the Bet Shean-Afula road at En Harod (14km/8.5mi from Bet Shean) into a very poor road on the right which runs up via the villages of Ramat Zevi and Bene Brit to Ramot Yissakhar and from there to Belvoir (13km/8mi from En Harod).

History

The territory in which the castle stands was acquired in 1168 by the Knights Hospitallers, who then built one of the strongest frontier fortresses in the Frankish kingdom. In 1187 it withstood an attack by Saladin after his victory over the crusading army at the Horns of Hittim. Two years later, however, the knights were forced to surrender the castle on the promise of safe passage to Tyre. Fearing that the Crusaders might regain possession of the castle, the Arabs slighted it in 1219; and although the Crusaders did in fact recover it in 1241 it was never rebuilt. In 1966-67 the ruins were cleared of soil and partly restored.