Byblos Castle (Arabic:قلعة جبيل) is aCrusader castle inByblos,Lebanon. In Crusader times it was known as theCastle of Gibelet/ˈdʒɪbəlɪt,ˈdʒɪblɪt/, also spelled Giblet, which belonged to theGenoese Republiccheaib family, Lords of the city.[1][2] It is adjacent to thePhoenician archaeological site containing the ruins of theTemple of Baalat Gebal and theTemple of the Obelisks.
The castle was built by theCrusaders in the 12th century from indigenous limestone and the remains of Roman structures. The finished structure was surrounded by a moat. It belonged to theGenoeseEmbriaco family, whose members were the Lords of Gibelet from 1100 to the late13th century.Saladin captured the town and castle in 1188 and partially dismantled the walls in 1190. Later, the Crusaders recaptured Byblos and rebuilt the fortifications of the castle in 1197. In 1369, the castle had to fend off an attack fromCypriot vessels fromFamagusta.[3]
The Byblos Castle has distinguished historical buildings for neighbors. Nearby stand a few Egyptian temples, thePhoenician royalnecropolis and theRoman amphitheatre.[3]
The Crusader castle of Gibelet is "the finest example" (Boas) of a new 12th-century type, which mixes thecastrum-type with theturris-type castle:[4] a roughly square set of walls strengthened by corner towers, built around a centraldonjon,[5] thus forming two layers of defense.
The castle houses the Byblos site museum. It displays remains of the excavations undertaken on the site of the archeological preserve of Byblos, although the most important finds are displayed in theNational Museum of Beirut. Moreover, the history of Byblos from prehistory to the medieval periods, is illustrated with thematic panels.[6]
Byblos... Under the name of Gibelet or Giblet...
1987-2011: chronology, plans, photos, GPS data
recent photos, history, description
Capital:Byblos | ||
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Also See:Castles in Lebanon | ||
