🇮🇱 Israel
Castles near Jerusalem
16 castles, fortresses, palaces and ruins within 100 km of the city centre — every one on the interactive map, with photos, distances and directions.
Within 25 km of Jerusalem
- Antonia Fortress
1 km north · Ruin · #312 worldwide
The Antonia Fortress was a citadel built by Herod the Great and named for Herod's patron Mark Antony, as a fortress whose chief function was to…
- Hisham's Palace
24 km north-east · Ruin
Hisham's Palace, also known as Khirbat al-Mafjar, is an important early Islamic archaeological site in the city of Jericho, in the West Bank in…
- Mukataa Ramallah
15 km north · Palace & château
Mukataa is an Arabic word for headquarters or administrative center, particularly in Palestine.
- Castel National Park
9 km west · Castle
Castel National Park is an Israeli national park, which consists of a fortified summit in the Judean Mountains, at the site of the former Palestinian…
Day trips: 25–60 km
- Masada
53 km south · Fortress · #19 worldwide
Masada is a mountain-top fortress complex in the Judaean Desert, overlooking the western shore of the Dead Sea in southeastern Israel.
- Machaerus
44 km south-east · Ruin · #300 worldwide
Machaerus was a Hasmonean hilltop palace and desert fortress, rebuilt by Herod and now in ruins, in the village of Mukawir in modern-day Jordan.
- Alexandreion
41 km north-east · Fortress
Alexandreion, or Alexandrium, called Sartaba in the Mishna and Talmud and Qarn Sartaba in Arabic, was an ancient hilltop fortress constructed by the…
- Qula
39 km north-west · Ruin
Qula was a Palestinian village in the Ramle Subdistrict of Mandatory Palestine, located 15 km northeast of Ramla.
- Migdal Afek
43 km north-west · Ruin
Migdal Afek, also Migdal Tsedek, is a national park on the southeastern edge of Rosh HaAyin, Israel.
Farther afield: 60–100 km
- Kerak Castle
80 km south-east · Castle · #334 worldwide
Kerak Castle is a large medieval castle located in al-Karak, Jordan. It is one of the largest castles in the Levant.
- Arsuf
62 km north-west · Ruin
Apollonia, known in the Early Islamic period as Arsuf and in the Crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem as Arsur, was an ancient city on the Mediterranean…
- Belvoir Fortress
95 km north · Ruin
Belvoir Castle, also called Coquet by the Crusaders, also Kochav HaYarden and Kawkab al-Hawa, is a Crusader castle in northern Israel, on a hill on…
- Ajlun Castle
77 km north-east · Castle
Ajloun Castle, medieval name Qalʻat ar-Rabad, is a 12th-century Muslim castle situated in northwestern Jordan.
- Qasr al-Basha
79 km west · Ruin
Qasr al-Basha, also known as Pasha's Palace Museum, Radwan Castle, and Napoleon's Fort, was a historic building in the Old City of Gaza, Palestine.
- Raghadan Palace
70 km east · Palace & château
Raghadan Palace, the first Hashemite structure in Jordan, was built by King Abdullah I, the founding monarch of the country.
- Qasr Mshatta
74 km east · Ruin
Mshatta, also known as Qasr al-Mushatta, is the ruin of an Umayyad winter palace, probably commissioned by Caliph Al-Walid II during his brief reign.
Distances are straight-line from the city centre. City coordinates and population: Wikidata Q1218.
Frequently asked questions
How many castles are near Jerusalem?
The Castlemap atlas maps 16 landmarks (3 castles · 2 fortresses · 2 palaces & châteaux · 9 ruins) within 100 km of the centre of Jerusalem, measured straight-line — a curated selection of well-documented landmarks, not a count of every fortification ever built.
What is the closest castle to Jerusalem?
Antonia Fortress, a ruin 1 km north of the city centre.
What is the most famous castle near Jerusalem?
Masada, ranked #19 of 3,708 worldwide in the atlas's fame ranking — 53 km south from Jerusalem.
What is the oldest castle near Jerusalem?
The oldest dated landmark in the circle is Machaerus, founded 89 BC — 44 km south-east. Earlier structures may have existed; this is the oldest with a documented founding year.
Nearby city guides: Tel Aviv (55 km) · Tulkarm (62 km) · Amman (68 km) · Hadera (81 km). See also medieval castles · all rankings · castles by country.