Cafarlet, Castle ruin in HaBonim, Israel.

The medieval fortress stands on the coastal plain with stone walls, rounded bastions, and an arched entrance that overlooks the Mediterranean coastline.

Built in the 8th or 9th century as a Muslim ribat against Byzantine raids, the fortress was later refortified by the Crusaders. In 1213 it was temporarily granted to the Hospitallers, who sold it to the Templars in 1232 for 16,000 bezants. Mamluk forces under Baybars took it in 1265, and it was destroyed in 1291.

The site represents the complex medieval history of the Levant, where Christian, Muslim, and Byzantine civilizations contested control over strategic coastal territories.

Visitors should exercise caution when exploring the ruins due to unstable structures, buried chambers, and nearby cisterns that pose potential safety hazards.

The fortress features unusual circular watchtowers instead of the typical rectangular towers found in other Crusader fortifications throughout the region.