Arab buildings on the site were demolished by the Israeli authorities between 1963 and 1968. Architecture After the end of the Second World War, the study of Crusader castles experienced a lull. Syria, for instance, declared independence in 1946 and had little money to spare for archaeology. In Israel, the study of Crusader castles developed under Joshua Prawer. Its most significant discovery was made at Belvoir. Between 1963 and 1968 the Israel Department of Antiquities carried out excavations at the castle. Before the investigations, it had been assumed that Belvoir was a simple castle, with just a single enclosure. Excavations in the 1960s demonstrated the complex nature of early military architecture in the Kingdom of Jerusalem. Belvoir's design bore similarities to that of a Roman castrum: the inner enclosure was rectangular with towers at the corners, and large gatehouse in the middle of one wall, in this case the west. Belvoir is an early example of the concentric castle plan, which was widely used in later crusader castles. The castle was highly symmetric, with a rectangular outer wall, reinforced with square towers at the corners and on each side, surrounding a square inner enclosure with four corner towers and one on the west wall. According to historian H. J. A. Sire, the principle of concentric design used at Belvoir "was to influence castle design for the next several centuries." Vaults on the inner side of both walls provided storage and protection during bombardments. The castle was surrounded by a moat wide and deep. See also Belvoir disambiguation page Archaeology of Israel National parks of Israel Tourism in Israel References Notes Bibliography External links Belvoir National Park - official site Cochav Hayarden (Belvoir) at the Israeli Parks Authority site. Photos of Belvoir castle Archaeological sites in Israel National parks of Israel Forts in Israel Protected areas of Northern District (Israel) Castles in Israel Buildings and structures in Northern District (Israel) Castles and fortifications of the Kingdom of Jerusalem Castles and fortifications of the Knights Hospitaller 1168 establishments in Asia Principality of Galilee 1160s establishments in the Kingdom of Jerusalem 13th-century disestablishments in the Kingdom of Jerusalem