Crusader Castle

Migdal Afek (Mirabel Castle) (Migdal Tzedek) near Rosh Ha-Ayin, Israel This area stood as a controlling point to protect the ancient trade route of 'Via Maris'. Via Maris in Latin means 'Way of the sea' because it ran from Egypt northwards along the Mediterranean coast to Israel, there it turned northeast connecting to the 'Kings Highway' leading to what is today Syria, Turkey, Iraq and Iran. In the year 70 AD the Roman 12th legion crushed the Jewish forces in this area during the uprising that wanted the Romans out of the Holy Land. During this time, they also destroyed the second Temple in Jerusalem. In the 12th century the Crusaders built a castle called 'Mirabel' here and in the year 1191 General Saladin ordered his Muslim army to destroy the castle in plans to fight off the 3rd Crusade. The 16th century brought in the Ottoman Turks who built around the ruins of the castle. Mirabel castle is sometimes called 'Migdal Tzedek' after a Bedouin Sheikh from the 1850's, his tomb is located on a nearby hill. Today large parts of the original Crusader castle can still be seen. Few kilometers from here is another interesting site, Tel Afek (Antipatris), the ancient city built by King Herod in the 5th century BCE. An old Limestone quarry with a number of old kiln's (furnaces) from the British Mandate period can be seen nearby. Camera : Dji Spark soundtrack : Long Road Ahead by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/...) Source: http://incompetech.com/music/royalty-... Artist: http://incompetech.com/