Nimrod's Fortress

Nimrod's Fortress Review

The dramatic views of this towering, burly fortress perched above Banias, appearing and disappearing behind each curve of the narrow road that leads to it, are part of the treat of a visit to Nimrod's Fortress (Kal'at Namrud). And once you're there, the fortress commands superb vistas, especially through the frames of its arched windows and the narrow archers' slits in its walls.

In 1218 the Mameluke warlord al-Malik al-Aziz Othman built this fortress to guard the vital route from Damascus via the Golan and Banias, to Lebanon and to the Mediterranean coast, against a Crusader reconquista after their 1187 defeat. It changed hands between Muslims and Christians in the succeeding centuries, as both vied for control of the region. During one of its more interesting periods, from 1126 to 1129, a fanatic sect of Muslims infamous for their murderous violence occupied Nimrod's Fortress. Before heading out to track down their enemies, the cutthroats are said to have indulged in hashish, thus earning the nickname hashashin (hashish users), from which the word assassin is derived.

Nimrod's Fortress is a highlight for kids, with a ladder down to a vaulted cistern, a shadowy spiral staircase, and unexpected nooks and crannies. A path leads up to the fortress's central tower, or keep, where the feudal lord would have lived.