Al-Burj Castle
Al-Burj Castle is situated in the village of Al-Burj, one of the villages in the Dura area, about 25 kilometers southwest of Hebron, at an elevation of 464 meters above sea level.
The current structure of the castle dates back to the Crusader period in the 12th century and was originally known as "Castrom Fikum" or "Fig Castle." After Saladin's liberation of Jerusalem in 1187 AD, many Crusader castles, including Al-Burj Castle, were destroyed and reclaimed. The castle's strategic importance lay in its role as a monitoring point for the road connecting the western slopes of Hebron to the south, linking occupied Jerusalem and the Levant with the Gaza Strip and Egypt.
The castle is a rectangular structure measuring 52 by 45 meters and includes facilities for housing, tunnels, water wells, and grain storage. It was fortified with robust stone walls and surrounded by a 30-meter-wide defensive trench carved into the rock to deter invaders.
The castle also contains the remnants of a small church attached to its southern wall. During the Nakba, its facilities served as shelters for displaced Palestinians.