Al-Qastal

Al-Qastal was a Palestinian village located eight kilometers west of and named for a Crusader castle once standing on the hilltop. Used during the 1948 Arab–Israeli War as a military base by the Army of the Holy War, virtually all of its residents fled during the fighting and the village was eventually captured by the Palmach.
Photo: אסף.צ, Public domain.
  • Type: Ruin
  • Description: former populated place near Jerusalem
  • Also known as: “Al Qastal”, “Al-Qastal, Jerusalem”, “Castel”, “Castellum”, “El Qastal”, “El Qasṭal”, “HaCastel”, “Kastel”, “Kustul”, and “Qastal”

Places of Interest Nearby

Highlights include Castel National Park and The old synagogue in Motza.

Protected area
Photo: אסף.צ, Public domain.
is an Israeli , which consists of a fortified summit in the Judean Mountains, at the site of the former Palestinian village of Al-Qastal, known to Hebrew-speakers as HaCástel, "the Cástel".

Archaeological site
The Old Motza Synagogue is Jewish congregation and synagogue, located in , in , . Completed in 1871, the Ottoman-era synagogue is just off Highway 1. is situated 1½ km southeast of Al-Qastal.

Places in the Area

Nearby places include Mevaseret Zion and Motza Illit.

Village
is a town and local council located 10 km to the west of , straddling both sides of the Jerusalem–Tel Aviv highway. is composed of two distinct older townships, Maoz Zion and Mevaseret Yerushalayim, under the jurisdiction of one local council.

Village
is a community settlement in central Israel, in suburban . Located on a slope overlooking the , , the Motza Valley and Jerusalem, it falls under the jurisdiction of Mateh Yehuda Regional Council.

Village
, also Mozah or Motsa, is a neighbourhood on the western edge of . It is located in the , 600 metres above sea level, connected to Jerusalem by the Jerusalem–Tel Aviv highway, Highway 16, and the winding mountain road to .

Al-Qastal

Latitude
31.8° or 31° 48′ north
Longitude
35.15° or 35° 9′ east
Elevation
730 metres (2,395 feet)
Open location code
8G3QQ5X2+X2
Geo­Names ID
Wiki­data ID
This page is based on GeoNames, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons, and Wikipedia.
We’d love your help improving our open data sources. Thank you for contributing.

Satellite Map

Discover Al-Qastal from above in high-definition satellite imagery.

In Other Languages

From Arabic to Urdu—“Al-Qastal” goes by many names.
  • Arabic: “القسطل”
  • Danish: “Al-Qastal”
  • Dutch: “Al Qastal, Palestine”
  • French: “Al-Qastal”
  • French: “Kastel”
  • French: “Qastel”
  • German: “Belveer”
  • German: “Castel”
  • Hebrew: “אל-קסטל”
  • Hebrew: “הקסטל”
  • Hebrew: “קסטל”
  • Indonesian: “Al-Qastal, Yerusalem”
  • Indonesian: “Al-Qastal”
  • Italian: “Al-Qastal”
  • Japanese: “アル=カスタル”
  • Japanese: “カスタル”
  • Japanese: “カステル”
  • Persian: “القسطل (فلسطین)”
  • Persian: “القسطل”
  • Polish: “Al-Kastal”
  • Polish: “Al-Qastal”
  • Portuguese: “Al-Qastal”
  • Russian: “Аль-Кастал”
  • Russian: “Кастель (Израиль)”
  • Spanish: “Al-Qastal, Jerusalén”
  • Spanish: “Al-Qastal”
  • Turkish: “El-Kastal”
  • Urdu: “القسطل، یروشلم”
  • Urdu: “القسطل”

Places with the Same Name

Discover other places named “Al-Qastal”.

Localities in the Area

Explore places such as Mevasseret Yerushalayim and Ma’oz Tsiyyon.

Nearby Places

Explore places such as Meẖlaf Har’el and Ash Shaykh ‘Abd al ‘Azīz.

Israel: Must-Visit Destinations

Delve into Tel Aviv, Haifa, Nazareth, and Carmel Range.

Curious Ruins to Discover

Uncover intriguing ruins from every corner of the globe.