| Beaufort Castle | |
|---|---|
قلعة الشقيف | |
| Nabatieh Governorate, Lebanon | |
 The remains of the ancient Beaufort Castle (The Beautiful Castle) also known locally as Qal'at Al-Shaqif in Arnoun, Lebanon. | |
  Beaufort Castle | |
| Coordinates | 33°19′28″N 35°31′55″E / 33.3244°N 35.5320°E |
| Type | Castle |
| Site history | |
| Built | 12th century |
| Built by | Crusaders |
Beaufort or Belfort Castle, known locally as Qal'at al-Shaqif (Arabic: قلعة الشقيف, romanized: Qalʾāt al-Shaqīf)[1] or Shaqif Arnun, is a Crusader fortress in Nabatieh Governorate, Southern Lebanon, about 1 kilometre (0.62 mi) to the south-south-east of the village of Arnoun. There was a fortification on the site before it was captured by Fulk, King of Jerusalem, in 1139 and construction of the Crusader castle probably began soon after. Saladin captured Beaufort in 1190, but 60 years later Crusaders re-took it. In 1268 Sultan Baibars finally captured the castle for the Islamic forces.
Beaufort provides one of the few cases in which a medieval castle proved of military value and utility in modern warfare as well, as its late 20th-century history, especially during the 1982 Lebanon War, shows.
- ^ Nicolle (2004), p. 57