🇵🇸 Country

Castles in Palestine

10 landmarks in the Castlemap atlas — every one mapped with a photo and its story, 8 with sourced founding dates, ranked by Wikipedia coverage and real readership.

The most famous castle in Palestine is Golden Gate, ranked #275 of 7,738 in the world — followed by Damascus Gate and Jaffa Gate.

The Castlemap atlas charts 7 fortresses, 1 palace & château and 2 ruins in Palestine. They span more than 12 centuries — from Golden Gate (founded c. 650) to Herod's Gate (1875). Every one is plotted with its photo and story on the interactive castle map of Palestine.

Map of castles in Palestine

On the map they cluster thickest around Yatta — 10 within a 100 km day trip, then Nablus (9) and Tulkarm (9). The northernmost is Alexandreion, the southernmost Qasr al-Basha — about 115 km apart.

Planning a visit? Day-trip guides: Castles near Nablus · Castles near Yatta · Castles near Tulkarm · Castles near Bani Suheila.

By region: Castles in the Levant.

See them on the map →

When they were built

Of the 10 landmarks mapped in Palestine, 8 carry a sourced founding date. Most were founded in the 16th century — 4 of them. 3 predate 1500 and 1 were built after 1700.

All 10 castles in Palestine

Golden Gate
Fortress · 7th century · #275 worldwide · #1 in Palestine
The Golden Gate or Gate of Mercy is the only eastern gate of the Temple Mount, and one of only two Gates of the Old City of Jerusalem that used to…
Damascus Gate
Fortress · 16th century · #2 in Palestine
The Damascus Gate is one of the main Gates of the Old City of Jerusalem. It is located in the wall on the city's northwest side and connects to a…
Jaffa Gate
Fortress · 16th century · #3 in Palestine
Jaffa Gate is one of the seven main open gates of the Old City of Jerusalem. The name Jaffa Gate is currently used for both the historical Ottoman…
Lions' Gate
Fortress · 16th century · #4 in Palestine
Lions' Gate, also St Stephen's Gate, is one of the seven open Gates of the Old City of Jerusalem. It leads into the Muslim Quarter of the Old City.
Hisham's Palace
Ruin · 8th century · #5 in Palestine
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…
Dung Gate
Fortress · 16th century · #6 in Palestine
The Dung Gate, also known as Bab al-Maghariba, Mughrabi Gate, Moroccan Gate or Silwan Gate, is one of the Gates of the Old City of Jerusalem.
Mukataa Ramallah
Palace & château · #7 in Palestine
Mukataa is an Arabic word for headquarters or administrative center, particularly in Palestine.
Herod's Gate
Fortress · 19th century · #8 in Palestine
Herod's Gate is one of the seven open Gates of the Old City of Jerusalem. It connects the Muslim Quarter inside of the old city to the eponymic…
Alexandreion
Fortress · #9 in Palestine
Alexandreion, or Alexandrium, called Sartaba in the Mishna and Talmud and Qarn Sartaba in Arabic, was an ancient hilltop fortress constructed by the…
Qasr al-Basha
Ruin · 13th century · #10 in Palestine
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.

Frequently asked questions

How many castles are in Palestine?

The Castlemap atlas maps 10 landmarks (7 fortresses · 1 palace & château · 2 ruins) in Palestine — a curated selection of well-documented landmarks from Wikidata, not a count of every fortification ever built.

What is the most famous castle in Palestine?

Golden Gate, ranked #275 of 7,738 worldwide in the atlas's fame ranking, founded in the 7th century.

Where are most of the castles in Palestine?

They cluster thickest around Yatta — 10 of the atlas's landmarks within 100 km, then Nablus (9) and Tulkarm (9).