For centuries after the fall of the Crusaders, the Castel disappeared from the historical sources. However, in the 19th century, short references in written sources reveal that a small number of people once again inhabited the site, living among the ruins. In 1869, the highway to Jerusalem was paved with gravel for the first time.
During Israel's War of Independence, many armored convoys that supplied besieged Jerusalem were lost to ambushes, and it became clear that only the capture of points along the road would change the situation. At the beginning of April 1948, a Palmach unit set out from Kiryat ‘Anavim and captured the village of Castel without a battle. However, a few days later, Arab forces attacked the Palmach unit, redoubling their efforts when the rumor spread that the famed Arab commander, Abdul Khader el-Husseini, had fallen in the fray. Visitors receive a flyer at the entrance to the site that briefly describes the long battle for the Castel, as do signs along the way up the hill. The battle for the Castel was unique in several aspects: First and foremost was its importance in keeping the road to Jerusalem open, which was essential to besieged Jerusalemites and psychologically significant to the morale of the whole nation during the War of Independence. Second, the expression: "privates will retreat under cover of their commanders" became part of the heritage of the Palmach and later of the Israel Defense Forces. This was also the first night battle in Israeli military history and the first in which an Arab village was conquered and destroyed.
At the end of the War of Independence, the Castel overlooked the border with Jordan to the north. The Israel Defense Forces dug the numerous communications trenches visitors can see ahead of a possible attack on Jerusalem in which the Castel would once again protect the city and the road.
When the border receded after the Six Day War, a new Jewish community, Ma‘oz Zion, was built around the fortress, one of many surrounding the capital.
|