Crusader Castle Mirabel (מגדל אפק)

In 1134, King Fulk of Jerusalem elevated Mirabel to an independent lordship and granted it as a fief to Barisan of Ibelin. In the following years, he built a hill castle on the remains of Roman-Byzantine predecessors. After Barisan's death in 1150, Manasses of Hierges, a cousin of Queen Melisende, took over the lordship. Manasses, who was also Constable of the Kingdom of Jerusalem, became involved in a succession dispute with Baldwin III and was besieged in Mirabel in 1152, forced to surrender and go into exile. The lordship then passed to Barisan's son Hugh of Ibelin, and after his childless death in 1170, to his brother Baldwin of Ibelin. A Frankish settlement around the castle was plundered by Saladin's vanguard in 1177. In July 1187, Mirabel was conquered by Saladin's brother al-Adil after the Battle of Hattin. Unlike many other Crusader castles, Mirabel was apparently not razed by the conquerors and was in Ayyubid possession in 1191/1192. It was abandoned in the 13th century but was reused as a fortress by the Ottomans in the 17th and 18th centuries.

The Crusader castle of Mirabel is located in Rosh HaAyin, in the Central District of Israel, at an elevation of approximately 125 m above sea level.

Today, the ruins of the Crusader castle of Mirabel can be visited. Particularly on the western tower, the Crusader construction style and the two-meter-thick walls are visible. Above the entrance is a Greek inscription from the 4th or 5th century, interpreted as “Martyrdom of Saint Cyricus”. Although the castle was partially rebuilt during the Ottoman period, the structure of the central keep and the curtain wall of the Crusader castle are still clearly recognizable.

• Crusader Castle Cola (Qula) (fortress), approx. 4.8 km away
• Crusader Castle Casal des Plains (fortress), approx. 15.7 km away
• Crusader Castle Arsuf (fortress), approx. 19.1 km away
• Crusader Castle Qalansawe (sacred building), approx. 22.5 km away