This cache is placed near the bottom of the road leading up to "Nimrod's Fortress". When I visited this incredible National Park bearing my caching name, I knew I had to place a cache nearby. Be sure to visit the nearby Fortress -- you won't be disappointed!
Nimrod Fortress
Nimrod Fortress National Park is located in a magical mountain scenery on the slopes of Mt. Hermon, atop a ridge at an altitude to 815m (2675 feet) above sea level. From the crest, the northern slope drops very steeply to the north towards the Guvta stream, while the southern slope descends moderately southward to Wadi a-Naqib. The ridge descends westward toward Banias and rises eastward in the direction of Mt. Hermon. Incredible views are seen 360 degrees!
The National Park extends over an area of of 19.5 hectares. Within its boundaries lies the Fortress, occupying 3.3 hectares, surrounded by olive groves and natural vegetation.
Nimrod Fortress is one of the largest and most impressive fortresses which have survived in the Mid-East since the Middle Ages. The fortress controlled one of the region's main roads , which began in Tyre on the Mediterranean shore and ran through the upper Hula Valley and Banias to Damascus.
The fortress, with its long, narrow structure, fits in with the special topographic conditions of the area. Thus its width varies accordingly from 50m (165 feet) to 150m (500 feet); it is 420m (1380 feet) in length. The fortress is surrounded by a virtually impregnable wall fitted with towers.
Nimrod Fortress is also known by its Arabic names; Qal'at Subayba (the Cliff Fortress) and Qal'at Nimrud (Nimrod Fortress). The latter name is connected, according to legend, with the mighty hunter Nimrod, King of Shinar and great-grandson of Noah. In this place he was punished by Allah, who put a mosquito inside his head which drove him mad. According to another fable, Nimrod built his castle here, and from it stretched out his long arm to draw water from the Banias.
History of the Area
After the battle at the Horns of Hittin (1187), the Crusaders lost their hold on most of the territory in the Land of Israel. Salah a-Din, who commanded the Ayyubi army in its struggle against the Crusaders, was lord of the land. He and his troops systematically destroyed the fortress which fell into their hands. The Crusaders, however, attempted to return and reconquer the Holy Land in subsequent Crusades, but they were able to gain hegemony only on the Coastal Plain and in the Galilee. The Banias area, which also fell to the Muslims, was placed under the governorship of al-'Azia 'Othman, nephew of Salah a-Din. Intrigues between Sultan el-Kamal in Egypt and his brother al-Moatis, governor of Damascus, brought about the building of the fortress, and it happened this way: in 1227, the army of the German Emperor (Kaiser) Frederick II arrived in the Holy Land. Sultan el-Kamal provoked the Kaiser to engage his bother in battle, and even gave Jerusalem to the Kaiser. Al-Moatis, who feared that the Crusaders were about to attack Damascus and conquer it, initiated construction of the fortress in 1227 with the help of his younger brother al-'Aziz 'Othman, in order to defend the road leading to Damascus. When the danger had passed, the Ayyubids decided to reinforce the fortress and to expand it westwards. Construction continued for about a year and was completed in 1230. In 1253, the Crusaders tried to return and conquer the fortress, but to no avail. The Mongol invasion of Syria and the Holy Land from Central Asia 7 years later brought about the destruction of the fortress. The Mameluke army managed to stop the Mongols at the Battle of 'Ein Jalud ('Ein Harod), considered to be one of the most important battles in history. One of the outstanding Mameluke commanders in that battle, Baybars, named himself Sultan of the Mamelukes and gave the fortress to his second-in-command, Bilik. The new governor began broad reconstruction activities and actually, the building in his day was the most grandiose ever, and included the semicircular towers.
With the surrender of the Crusaders and their final ejection from the Holy Land at the end of the 13th century, the prestige of the fortress diminished. In the 15th century it served as a prison for rebels, but later was abandoned. From that time on, shepherds and their flocks would occasionally take shelter in its fastnesses.
[Historical background from the Nimrod Fortress National Park brochure]
Small note on cache maintenance: Geocacher Isracacher has agreed to look after any maintenance issues on this cache. Thanks!