THE CASTLE OF BEAUFORT

This citadel has been offered to all military conquests: caliphs umayyad, abbassides, bursa, crusaders, Ottomans, Palestinian and Israeli fighters.

Its history began in 1139, but historians date back to an earlier, Roman or Byzantine period. The King of Jerusalem conquered this citadel in 1139. Then Saladin was held in 1190 after a one-year siege. The castle was then purchased by the Knights of the Temple at Julien de Sidon in 1260. The Templar lost the site in 1268 after an attack by Sultan Baibars.

This important fortress at 710 m above sea level overlooking the Litani river was named Beaufort for its beauty. It was restored in the th century by Fakhreddine. Then the Ottomans destroyed part of the citadel that remained under feudal rule until 1769.

The fortress was damaged by the 1837 earthquake. During the French term, a first phase of restoration was undertaken. Then through its strategic military position, the site was badly damaged by events over the past 40 years. The castle was occupied by the Palestinians in the 1970 s and bombed in 1982 by Israeli F -16. After the Palestinians left, the Israeli army occupied the castle until May 2000. The Beaufort film, directed by Joseph Cedar in 2007, recounts the last days of the occupation of the fortress by Israeli forces in 2000. After the Israeli withdrawal, a crowd of curious people poured on the site, wanting to both discover the places and see military installations.

This Lebanese heritage monument was the subject of a comprehensive restoration plan that was finalized in early 2015.