Fierce battles that claimed many lives took place there as Arabs and Jews fought for control of the site, which overlooked the main Tel Aviv-Jerusalem highway.

[citation needed] The Crusaders built over the ruins of the Roman fortress a castle mentioned in chronicles as Castellum Belveer, of which no traces have been found.

Buses and trucks were covered with steel plates surrounding a wooden board which made them heavy and cumbersome.

[3][citation needed] By April 1, 1948, when Jerusalem had run out of water and the population was reduced to eating plants, the Palmach launched Operation Nachshon.

When word of the Castel's fall reached Arab leaders, they ordered revered commander Abd al-Qadir al-Husayni to take it back.

Equipped with knives, clubs, rifles, guns and explosives, they ascended the hill in waves, and attacked for five days.

An hour later, a soldier listening to Arabic radio broadcasts heard a phrase repeated over and over: "The bird fell in the cage."