Keren Naftali Castle

The Qeren Naftali fortress, also spelled Keren Naftali, also known as Khirbet el-Ḥarrawi or Khurbet Ḥarrawi, is an ancient fortress in the eastern Upper Galilee region of northern Israel. It sits atop Qeren Naftali peak, 492 metres (1,614 ft) above sea level, southeast of the modern village of Ramot Naftali and across a narrow vale from the ancient city of Kedesh, with which it shares clear lines of sight. From its summit, the site commands views of the Hula Valley directly below, Mount Hermon to the north, and the Golan Heights plateau beyond. The fortress was built during the Hellenistic period as part of the defensive network protecting Kedesh, then an administrative center of the Phoenician city of Tyre. During this period, it controlled routes through the Hula Valley and onward toward Tyre via Tibnin. It was captured by Hasmonean Judea during a military campaign most commonly associated with King Alexander Jannaeus. The fort was subsequently garrisoned by Jewish soldiers, whose presence is attested by Hasmonean coins and a mikveh (Jewish ritual bath). The site appears to have later fallen under Herodian control, with archaeological evidence pointing to a siege; following the Roman conquest, the mikveh was repurposed as refuse pit, and finds such as figurative oil lamps and non-kosher animals suggest a non-Jewish garrison occupied the fortress. In Late Antiquity, the site w

Archaeological site data from Wikidata (CC0). Summary from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA).