al-Qastal
القسطل | |
---|---|
Etymology: "castellum" or castale[1] | |
Location within Mandatory Palestine | |
Coordinates: 31°47′44″N 35°8′39″E / 31.79556°N 35.14417°E | |
Palestine grid | 163/133 |
Geopolitical entity | Mandatory Palestine |
Subdistrict | Jerusalem |
Date of depopulation | 3 April 1948[3] |
Area | |
• Total | 1,446 dunams (1.4 km2 or 0.5 sq mi) |
Population (1945) | |
• Total | 90[2] |
Cause(s) of depopulation | Ethnic cleansing by Yishuv forces |
Current Localities | Mevaseret Zion[4] Castel National Park |
Al-Qastal ("Kastel", Arabic: القسطل) was a Palestinian village located eight kilometers west of Jerusalem and named for a Crusader castle located 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.