Project UNESCO Tourist Trails and new signage systems07 — The Upper Ward

07 — The Upper Ward

The Upper Ward is a long fortified platform. During the Crusader period, it included a strong gate leading up from the Lower Ward and a defensive line of battlements with arrow slits. If you look closely, some of these features can still be seen today. This area was mostly open, with a row of buildings along the eastern side. One roughly square structure is older than the Crusader walls built beside it. It may date to an earlier period—possibly Byzantine—and was later incorporated into the Crusader fortress. Although the exact function of these buildings is unknown, their proximity to the main tower suggests they were part of the daily life of the castle’s elite. To the south, beyond the line of the Crusader wall, you can see a large leaning boulder. Its surface preserves cut marks from an ancient stone quarry that operated here in Nabataean–Roman times. The boulder likely broke away during one of the major earthquakes of 551 or 774 AD, as the Crusaders built no structures on it.