Horns of Hattin: Where the Crusaders Fell

The Horns of Hattin is another incredible place that I'm glad I got to see when all the world was as green as green can be. 

An extinct volcano, its rim has 2 horns that give the mountain its name. The views are incredible (check out Mount Arbel in the distance!), the silence, save for birdsong and wind, was deafening, and the historical significance of this site, mind-blowing. 

On July 4, 1187, this mountain is where the land changed over from Crusader hands to Ayyubite Control, let by Saladin ElAyyubi after a bloody battle.

It was summer, so the grasses made for perfect tinder when the Sultan Saladin's forces set fire to it, trapping everyone and eventually killing them. 

I could just see the battle playing out before me and was like, "Why has no one made a movie about this yet?" It turns out that they did when I was in college: Kingdom of Heaven. Remember that?

Only, I'm pretty sure that movie was set in Jerusalem, not the Galilee. The setting did not look anything like the Galilee. But when has historical accuracy (and literary, but that's another soapbox for another day) ever been Hollywood's strong suit?

Anywho... this was such a fun place to explore. We were the only ones there, walking through the long grass and climbing over rocks. Wikipedia says that Saladin built a victory dome here, but by 1217, a German explorer said it was desolate. I can say that in 2022, it's just natural beauty (and a loooooooot of rocks). 

And, ironically enough, this place is also a 3rd possible location for Jesus' Sermon on the Mount/Mount Beatitudes.