Mountjoy castle- Nebi Samwil- crusader cache #2 Traditional Cache
Mountjoy castle- Nebi Samwil- crusader cache #2
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Difficulty:
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Terrain:
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Size: 
(small)
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Nebi Samwil is located on a hill (908 m. above sea level), some 5 km. north of Jerusalem. The hill provides a good view of Jerusalem. The large mosque with a high, round minaret on the top of the hill is clearly visible from Jerusalem. It is revered by both Jews and Muslims because the cave beneath it is the traditional burial place of the prophet Samuel.
CONTAINER IS A SMALL "LOCK LOCK" BOX! BE CAREFUL AT THE TRENCH!
TB- THE CASINO CUBE
Tradition associates Nebi Samwil with biblical Ramah, the burial place of the prophet Samuel. (I Samuel 25:1; 28:3) But modern studies have identified Nebi Samwil with biblical Mitzpa [see Tell en-Nabeh for a different view on where Mizpa was most likely located], a town of cultic importance in the territory of the Tribe of Benjamin. (Joshua 18:26 and Judges 21:1-8) Gedaliah son of Ahikam, who was appointed governor of Judah by the Babylonians, lived in Mitzpa and was assassinated there. (Jeremiah 41:1-10) After the return from exile, the people of Mitzpa participated in repairing the walls of Jerusalem and in the building of the Second Temple. (Nehemiah 3:7, 19)
The cultic importance of Mitzpa to the Jews during the Hellenistic period is evident from a reference in I Maccabees 3:46: They assembled at Mitzpa, opposite Jerusalem, for in former times Israel had a place of worship at Mitzpa. The proximity of Mitzpa to Jerusalem and the discovery, in the archeological excavations, of finds from the First Temple period and from Hasmonean times, lend validity to the identification of the site as the biblical Mitzpa.
Comprehensive excavations were conducted at Nebi Samwil from 1992 to 1999. On the southeastern slopes of the site, previously unknown remains from the beginning of settlement there were found; they had not been damaged by the intensive construction activity of the Crusaders. The Crusader fortress with its fortifications and the building complex outside its walls were uncovered
The Crusader Fortress
During the Crusader period Nebi Samwil gained symbolic significance, because from here, after a three-year journey, the Crusader army had its first glimpse of Jerusalem (7 July 1099) . They called the hill Mons Gaudii [Mountain of Joy] and constructed a fortress there, to protect the northern approaches to Jerusalem from Muslim raids. Convoys of pilgrims also found shelter within its walls on their way to the Holy City. The church within the fortress was built in 1157 over the traditional tomb of the prophet Samuel.
The Crusader fortress was rectangular (100 x 67 m.) surrounded by walls and with a church at its center. The stones used to build the fortress were quarried on the top of the hill, creating 5 m.-high rock-cut cliffs on the northern and eastern sides of the fortress, upon which the walls were constructed. Strong terrace-walls were built on the southern and western sides, which artificially raised the base of the fortress. The walls were some 2 m. thick, built of large ashlars reinforced with cement; a large tower (7 x 6 m.) protected the southwestern corner, a smaller one the northwestern corner of the fortress. An additional large tower (6 x 6 m.) was built on the southern side.
Two gates in its western wall gave access to the fortress. They led directly into the courtyard in which the church stood. One gate, for everyday use, was approached via a ramp next to the wall; the second one was reached over a stone bridge, 28 m. long and 2.5 m. wide. The bridge was supported by a series of arches, ascending from north to south. Along the southwestern side of the fortress two long, underground vaults were built, the southern one 72 x 8 m. and along its inner, eastern side, a 46 x 6.4 m. vault. These vaults were part of the podium upon which the courtyard was built and relieved the pressure on the retaining walls of the fortress. The spaces thereby created were used for storage.
Of the large, elaborate Crusader church, which occupied most of the fortress' courtyard, only some architectural elements, such as capitals and marble columns, were found in the excavations. A mosque, preserving portions of the earlier structure, now stands on the central part of the Crusader church. An examination beneath the mosque revealed that the traditional tomb of the prophet Samuel is the crusader crypt, which was reached by descending stairs from the church.
North of the fortress compound a large, rock-cut camping area (47 x 37 m.) was prepared for use by the crusader army, and by groups of pilgrims. It had stables with rock-cut troughs in its eastern part, and a hostel for pilgrims was built on a bedrock terrace. This compound was protected in the east by a watchtower erected on a large square base hewn out of the bedrock.
The fortress was pillaged in 1187 by the Muslims under the command of Salah ed-Din (Saladin) and was later destroyed to its foundations, for fear of falling once more into Crusader hands. A collapse of hundreds of stones, in its southeastern corner, bears witness to the destruction.
In the ensuing centuries, Nebi Samwil, as the traditional tomb of the prophet Samuel, became a place of pilgrimage for Jews, until a mosque was builtthere in 1730. It was badly damaged in 1917, during a battle between British and Turkish forces. The mosque was restored after World War I and took on its present appearance.
Remains of all periods of settlement at Nebi Samwil have been preserved at the site. Particularly impressive are the remains of the Crusader fortifications, now exposed after removal of the debris that had covered it for centuries. Above the ancient remains stands the mosque with its high minaret, a landmark clearly visible from a considerable distance.
The excavations were directed by Y. Magen on behalf of the Archeological Staff in Judea and Samaria.
נבי סמואל שוכן בפסגת הר המתנשא לגובה של 884 מטרים מעל פני הים. הוא חולש על סביבתו, הכוללת את הכפר אל ג'יב בצפון; שכונת רמות מדרום-מזרח; היישוב גבעת זאב מצפון מערב. מפסגת ההר ניתן לראות את כל ירושלים עד הרי גוש עציון מדרום ודרום גוש דן ממערב.
מסורת יהודית קדומה קושרת את האתר לדמותו של שמואל הנביא. האתר מזוהה כיום עם מצפה, המוזכרת בתנ"ך כעיר בה פעל שמואל הנביא
בתקופה הצלבנית נבנה במקום מנזר - ומצודה. בניית המצודה "מחקה" שכבות קדומות. מסביב למצודה נחצב חפיר רחב ועמוק. השכבות הקדומות נחשפו מחוץ לגבולות המצודה הצלבנית. האתר הגדול שבראשו, כאמור, מצודה גדולה, כולל גם מרחב גדול של מתקנים חקלאיים, מחסנים ובתי מגורים. חשיבותו בתקופה הצלבנית בהיותו נקודת התצפית הראשונה, ממנה יכלו עולי הרגל לעיר הקודש לראות את ירושלים, בצעדם על הדרך הראשית לירושלים מצפון (כביש 443 של ימינו). בשל כך נקרא האתר בשם "הר השמחה" (Montis Gaudii).
לאחר נפילת ארץ ישראל בידי צלאח אל-דין האיובי, הפכה המצודה למסגד, ומסורת קבורת שמואל התחזקה מאוד הן בקרב המוסלמים והן בקרב היהודים. אין כמעט עולה רגל יהודי שביקר בארץ באותה עת, שאינו מזכיר את ציון קברו של שמואל הנביא במקום.
ראו גם קרב נבי סמואל : (visit link)
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(Decrypt)
VA GUR GERAPU JNYY - YRT'F UVTUG
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