This fortress was built on the edge of a plateau of basalt volcanic rock 550 meter above the Jordan Valley, which is known as Ramat Kochav. Its northern border is the Tabor Stream and southern border the Harod Stream.

 

This area was once part of the tribal inheritance of Issachar, and Jewish settlement here dates as far back as the ancient Israelite period. There was a Jewish village during Mishnaic and Talmudic times known as Kochava. An Arab village from the 18th century was conquered by the Golani Brigade during the 1948 War of Independence.

 

The volcanic rock here is older than that of the Golan Heights, and because of the greater time for erosion, the soil is deeper, making it excellent for agriculture.

 

The castle was built using a concentric design, a plan used extensively in later Crusader castles. Thus, there were three levels of defense, and these are readily apparent when walking through the castle. First was a moat that encircled the fortress on three sides other than its steep eastern aspect. Interior to this was a fortified rectangle, whose outer walls had square towers at each corner plus on each side. Interior to this was a square with corner towers and a tower on its western wall. This inner square had two stories and contained the living quarters of the knights.

 

Most of the basalt building blocks for the castle were quarried when its moat was carved out. The Crusaders also used stones from the ruins of Kochava. A stone with the carved design of a seven-branched menorah was found in the fortress wall and would have been borrowed from the ruins of its synagogue.