Crusader Castles in the Holy Land 1097–1192 (Fortress)

the Crusaders That Landed In The Middle East In The Late-11th Century Brought With Them Their Own Traditions Of Military Architecture, But It Was Not Long Before Their Defensive Construction Began To Reflect A Broad Array Of Local Influences. Most Early Crusader Structures Were Relatively Small, And Tended To Increase The Existing Natural And Defensive Features Of A Site. The Basic Forms Comprised Freestanding Towers, Castra, And Hilltop And Spur-castles, But Urban Centres, Religious Sites And Rural Dwellings Were Also Fortified. From The 1160s, Bigger, Stronger And More Expensive Castles Began To Appear, In Response To Developments In Islamic Siege Weaponry. This Title Examines The Early Fortifications Erected By The Crusaders In Modern-day Israel, The Palestinian Territories, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria And South-eastern Turkey. Of all the castles constructed by Western Europeans during the Middle Ages, none have caught the imagination so much as Crusader castles. This book focuses on 12th century castles in the regions now known as Israel, Palestine, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria and south-eastern Turkey. Of all the castles constructed by Western Europeans during the Middle Ages, none have caught the public imagination as much as Crusader castles. These structures, ranging from the very simple to the huge and elaborate, also encompass almost all aspects of. In the 19th and early-20th centuries, historians of the Crusades believed that Crusader military architecture was most strongly influenced by that of the Byzantine Empire.