August 24 1179 – 20 Elul 4939
Jacob’s Ford, known in Latin as Vadum Iacob, and in Ivrit as Ateret, is an historically significant crossing point of the Jordan River. The Crusaders fortified this strategically central location by building Chastellet, French for a small castel or fortress. The Muslims, led by the sultan Saladin, were gathering strength at the time, and opposed the construction. They eventually attacked the fortress, digging tunnels under its walls and causing them to collapse. The fortress was never rebuilt. During the 1994 archaeological excavations held at the site, a shaft in the walls was discovered. Unable to attribute it to the plundering of the place during the Muslim-Crusaders’ war, scientists explained it as a consequence of the 1202 and 1756 earthquakes. Chastellet is especially susceptible to tectonic movements due to its location on the Great Rift Valley.
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