ACRE Crusader City Uncovered

June 1, 2005

The 12th to 13th century quarter, which housed the compound of the Knights of Saint John, was discovered virtually intact underneath an Ottoman citadel, which was later used by the British as a prison. The area includes a large chapel, streets, and shops from the Crusader period, and further on, a dining hall and an immense courtyard, which had been previously uncovered.

Some of the original plaster on the wall in the quarter still has the engravings that the Crusaders made when they came to the Holy Land, including drawings of the boats they sailed on from Europe.

Only 5% of the total Crusader city has been uncovered so far, with excavations still ongoing. Tens of thousands of people lived in the Crusader city for nearly 200 years before it was conquered by the Mamelukes in 1291, who left it forlorn for a couple of centuries.

A total of NIS 40 million (US $9.2 million) has been invested in the four-year excavation and renewal project.

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