Al-Qastal, Jerusalem

al-Qastal القسطل
al-Qastal hill
Etymology: "castellum" or castale[1]
1870s map 1940s map modern map 1940s with modern overlay map A series of historical maps of the area around Al-Qastal, Jerusalem (click the buttons)
al-Qastal Location within Mandatory Palestine
Coordinates: 31°47′44″N 35°8′39″E / 31.79556°N 35.14417°E / 31.79556; 35.14417
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.