Krak des Chevaliers historical reminder of the Crusades
Fortress in the middle of the Syrian desert
The Krak des Chevaliers is a massive fortress located in the middle of the Syrian desert. It stands as a symbol of Crusades, an effort to bring the Christian faith to the Muslims. What made this spot so strategic was that only one route led from the city of Antioch south to Beirut and the Mediterranean. Krak des Chevaliers resides at the top of the 650-meter hill which dominates the surrounding countryside and overlooks this ancient highway.
Krak des Chevaliers is a typical example of Gothic architecture, uprooted from Western Europe and transferred to the Middle East. It remains to this day as one of the best-preserved examples of European medieval military architecture.
PrintLOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - The Krak des Chevaliers is a massive fortress located in the middle of the Syrian desert. It stands as a symbol of Crusades, an effort to bring the Christian faith to the Muslims. What made this spot so strategic was that only one route led from the city of Antioch south to Beirut and the Mediterranean. Krak des Chevaliers resides at the top of the 650-meter hill which dominates the surrounding countryside and overlooks this ancient highway.
The Krak was at first a much smaller fortress, built by the Emir of Aleppo. Captured in 1110 by Tancred, Prince of Galilee and one of the most famous Crusaders, the fortress later passed into the possession of Knights Hospitaller, the most powerful religious-military orders of the Crusades. The fortress served as their base of operations in the Middle East for centuries.
Krak des Chevaliers is a typical example of Gothic architecture, uprooted from Western Europe and transferred to the Middle East. It remains to this day as one of the best-preserved examples of European medieval military architecture.
The fortress could hold 2000 soldiers. The inner protective wall is over 3 meters thick. The inner castle is protected by seven towers, each 10 meters in diameter. The storeroom is 120 meters long and could hold supplies that would permit the defenders to survive a siege for about five years, with stables that could accommodate up to one thousand horses.
Krak des Chevaliers withstood numerous attacks by Muslim forces, even a siege by the mighty Saladin in 1188. The castle fell to a cunning trick in 1271, when Baibars Mamluk, Sultan of Egypt, managed to take the fortress after sending a forged letter to the defenders in the name of their master and commander in Tripoli ordering them to surrender the castle.
After their expulsion from Syria and Levant, the never-conquered (though easily duped) Knights Hospitaller moved their headquarters to Cyprus and then to Rhodes, retreating ever westwards, until they settled on Malta, where they survived until Napoleonic times as the Knights of St. John.
Krak des Chevaliers is on the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites.
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Pope Benedict XVI's Prayer Intentions for January 2013
General Intention: The Faith of Christians. That in this Year of Faith Christians may deepen their knowledge of the mystery of Christ and witness joyfully to the gift of faith in him.
Missionary Intention: Middle Eastern Christians. That the Christian communities of the Middle East, often discriminated against, may receive from the Holy Spirit the strength of fidelity and perseverance.
Keywords: Krak des Chevaliers, Crusades, Syria
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It is a shame that the Crusader forces were not more unified under a central command like Eisenhower over the allies in WWII. The muslims had one central command and that was their advantage. Another disadvantage was that the Crusaders had a single objective to Liberate Palestine from the muslim control BUT no to defeat Islam in its entirety. This was a big mistake. Islam continues to spread their herescy BY THE SWORD. Islam was born by the sword and continues to spread by the sword. It is death BY THE SWORD to convert to Christianity. This why you don't see many converts.
A good article and quite relevant for the times we are in now. We are still being duped except this time we are doing it to ourselves. If the muslims had continued to control Jerusalem the Jewish state would never had been possible and there would be little if any ability for Christians to pilgrimage to the Holy Land. Too bad the muslims did not convert but at least we tried.
Interesting article, but the last line implies that the Order no longer exists.
The Order, in fact, continues to exist and is currently based in Rome. The Order of Malta is one of the oldest religious orders of the Catholic Church having established its first hospital in Jerusalem prior to the arrival of the First Crusade in 1099. Since its humble beginnings in the Holy Land, this Order and its members have dedicated themselves to serving the poor and the sick, particularly in the area of health care. This tradition of service is maintained today by approximately 12,500 members, over 100,000 volunteers and over 11,000 employees, mostly medical personnel, working in over 120 countries. It operates ambulance corps, clinics (over 1,000), hospitals (40), refugee camps, health and social rehabilitation programs, and disaster relief operations. Within the past few years, several of its personell were killed in Afghanistan when their convoy was attacked, and during the Vietnam conflict, several of its representatives were taken prisoner and some of them killed. The Order frequently goes in before the peacekeeping forces arrive and stay after they leave.
In addition to being a religious order that devotes itself to humanitarian activities, the Order of Malta is a sovereign entity under international law. Currently, the Order has exchanged ambassadors with more than 100 nations, has signed treaties with many of them and has representatives before the United Nations and other international agencies. The diplomatic corps of the Order is fundamentally at the service of the international hospitaller activities of the Order, which are significant.
For more information you can visit http://www.orderofmalta.org.