Festival
Knights of Jerusalem
Bobe Mayses
Upcoming event: September 12, 2026 · Ein Yael · Jerusalem

Knight Tournament

← What to Expect

Full-contact combat in historical armor - one of the festival’s central spectacles.

Armored knights fighting in the festival arena

Quick facts

Where
Upper festival grounds.
When
09:00-18:00 (non-stop with minimal breaks).
How it works
Real full-contact combat under strict tournament rules.
Equipment
Steel armor based on historical artifacts and full-weight, unsharpened metal swords.

In the Middle Ages, tournaments were the privilege of noble men alone. Ideas of honor, noble warfare, and courtly love applied only to a narrow circle of “their own.” That did not stop others from celebrating the ideals of chivalry - remarkably, this literary image even found its way into Jewish communities across Europe.

The literary image of the noble knight is beautiful, while real war has always been abhorrent.

Today, historical medieval combat is a sport and a martial art. Our doors are open to everyone, regardless of gender or cultural background. At the tournament held as part of the Knights of Jerusalem Festival, men and women will fight in historically accurate armor, armed with the ideals of honor. Our tournament is a tribute to the cultural phenomenon of chivalric romances of the 13th-16th centuries.

Two knights fighting in an open arena in front of spectators. Armored fighters crossing weapons in close combat. Knights with shields fighting in the festival arena. Two knights in chainmail and helmets meeting in a duel before the crowd. Knight combat in the festival arena Knights meeting in combat before the spectators A knight strikes with a shield during tournament combat Knights with pole weapons fighting in the arena An armored fighter falls during a tournament bout
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