Visiting the fortifications today

The names given to cities, castles, villages and practically every other feature of the Middle Eastern landscape have changed over the centuries. Furthermore, they were known by different names by different peoples during the period of the Crusades. The list of alternative names given below includes most of the sites mentioned in this book, but Turkish and Hebrew names only apply to locations that lie within the modern states of Turkey or Israel. Cities that are commonly known by variations of their correct or ancient names are given these within the text. This is not, however, a full list of sites fortified by the Crusaders during the 13th century.

On the mainland next to the castle of Atlit is one of the rarest sights in the Middle East: a largely undisturbed Crusader cemetery. Some of the most decorated gravestones have been removed, and most that remain are quite plain. However, amongst them are a few with carved crosses. The identities of those buried beneath are unknown but they may have been senior members of the Hospitaller garrison.

Syria

Generally, the 13th-century Crusader castles of Syria are easier to access. The largest and most dramatic remain Margat (Marqab) and Crac des Chevaliers (Hisn al-Akrad), both of which have been opened for tourists. Both have substantial later Islamic additions and neither has been spoiled by overrestoration. South of Margat, the historic port city of Tartus contains several Crusader buildings and fortifications, some of which are still inhabited by local people. The tiny island of Arwad, a few minutes journey in an open boat from Tartus, still has a fort dating from the Crusader period and - perhaps more importantly - also has some of the best fish restaurants in Syria.

Above Castel Rouge, or Qal’at Yahmur as it is now called, is one of the smallest, most complete and most picturesque Crusader castles in Syria. it is unusual in still being inhabited by a family from the surrounding village. The inner tower or keep measures 14m x 16m and the upper storey, seen here, is entered by a door from a platform formed by the vaulted chambers beneath.

Above One of the massive corner towers of the keep of the citadel of Tartus, which is the largest surviving fortified structure in the city. it lies on the seafront and during the medieval period the shoreline lapped the foot of a small postern gate in the sloping talus. This is where the Templar garrison was believed to have escaped to on August 3, 1291, abandoning the last Crusader outpost on the Syrian mainland.

Above The island of Ru’ad lies a kilometre or so off the Syrian coast, near Tartus. A small castle overlooking the little harbour was constructed after the Crusaders were driven from the island in 1302, but another larger castle seen here lies almost hidden within the village that now covers Ru’ad. It is a simple, 13th-century, rectangular enclosure with rounded corner towers, yet it enabled a Templar garrison to hold the island for more than a decade after the fall of the last Crusader outposts on the mainland.