Château Pèlerin
Château Pèlerin (
The Knights Templar began building the fortress in 1218 during the Fifth Crusade. One of the major Crusader fortresses, it could support up to 4,000 troops in siege conditions. It became for a short time the headquarters of the Crusaders; according to Claude Reignier Conder its architecture "must have made ‘Athlit perhaps the finest town of the period in the country".[2] It has been described as the "crowning example of Crusader military architecture",[3] although T. E. Lawrence found it lacking in elegance and imagination in terms of military architecture, settling on massiveness instead. In early August 1291, three months after the Siege of Acre, the forces of Al-Ashraf Khalil conquered Atlit, which was at that point the last remaining Crusader outpost in Syria, thus permanently ending Crusader presence in the region.[4]
The fortress remained intact for several hundred years, until suffering damage in the Galilee earthquake of 1837. In the 14th century, it became home to a large concentration of Oirat Mongols. During early Ottoman rule, in the 16th century, it was recorded in tax registers as a port of call and a farm. Later, in the 19th century, it was a small fishing village under the influence of the local al-Madi family.
It was depopulated of its Palestinian inhabitants in 1948. In modern times, the castle is part of the Atlit naval base, a training zone for Israeli Naval commandos.
History
Roman period
In the
Crusader period
Construction began in early spring 1218 during the period of the Fifth Crusade by the Knights Templar, replacing the earlier castle of Le Destroit which was situated slightly back from the coast. The castle was built on a promontory, with two main walls cutting the citadel off from the land. The outer wall was approximately 15 metres high and 6 metres thick, with three square towers situated about 44 metres apart, projecting out by 12 metres with a level platform on the roof probably for artillery. In front ran a shallow ditch dug at sea level cut into the bedrock. The inner wall was approximately 30 metres high by 12 metres, with two square towers, the north and south each approximately 34 metres tall. As the inner wall was taller than the outer wall, defenders were able to shoot at targets over the first wall allowing greater protection from return fire by the besiegers. Part of the design of the castle included a protected harbour on the south side of the promontory. It also had three fresh water wells within its enclosure. The castle was capable of supporting up to 4000 troops during a siege, as it did in 1220. The settlement of Atlit developed outside the castle's outer wall and was later fortified. The castle's position dominated the north–south coastal route, and surrounding countryside allowing it to draw revenue from tolls and rents, going some way to pay for the running costs of the castle; as well as providing protection for pilgrims. The castle probably got its name from pilgrims who volunteered their labour during its construction. There is a large Crusader cemetery (80 x 100 metres) north of the castle, on the beach, containing hundreds of graves, some with carved grave markers.[6][7]
The castle was under the control of the Knights Templar and was never taken in siege due to its excellent location and design and its ability to be resupplied by sea. It was besieged in 1220 by the
Mamluk period
The castle was not demolished by the Mamluks as was their normal practice after capturing a crusader fortification and remained in good condition until it suffered severe damage during the Galilee earthquake of 1837, and was also further damaged by Ibrahim Pasha in 1840, who used it as a source of stone for Acre.
Atlit | ||
---|---|---|
Village | ||
Geopolitical entity Mandatory Palestine | | |
Subdistrict | Haifa | |
Date of depopulation | Not known[8] |
In 1296, during the beginnings of
Ottoman period
The iskele (port of call or wharf) of Atlit, along with those of nearby
In 1799, it appeared as the village Atlit on the map that Pierre Jacotin compiled that year.[12]
During the rule of
An Ottoman village list of about 1870 showed that Atlit had 9 houses and a population of 33, though the population count included men only.[16][17] In 1881, the PEF's Survey of Western Palestine noted the existence of an hamlet covering a good portion of the ancient site.[15] A population list from about 1887 showed that Atlit had about 180 inhabitants; all Muslims.[18]
British Mandate Period
The population declined in the early 20th century; the 1922 census of Palestine recorded a population of 86 people.[19]
A major excavation sponsored by Mandate Authorities was undertaken by C. N. Johns between 1930 and 1934.
The castle was part of the area used by the Mandate Authorities to house illegal refugees during the later Mandate period.
State of Israel
The castle is now part of Atlit naval base, an Israeli Navy base which is the headquarters of the Israeli Navy's Shayetet 13 naval commando unit. As a result, the castle is within a closed military zone and training area for naval commandos.
Gallery
-
1752 map
-
1800 map
-
1880 map
-
Atlit in the 21st century
See also
References
- ^ Rieß, Richard (1872). Biblische Geographie. Vollständiges biblisch-geographisches Verzeichniß als Wegweiser zum erläuternden Verständniß der heiligen Schriften Alten und Neuen Testaments. Freiburg: Herder. p. 60.
- ^ Conder's Reports: Athlit. Palestine exploration fund. 1874. p. 13. Retrieved 2023-02-22.
The headquarters of the Crusaders were, however, farther north, at the great seaport of 'Athlit, the Castel Pelegrino of mediæval writers, Athlit, where first the new levies landed on the comfortless coast of the Holy Land. Very impressive must have been the general appearance of the town to the pilgrim. The church, a decagon, with its three eastern apses, the great hall of El Kaynifeh towering above all, the long vaults for stabling and storage, the groined roofs and noble masonry, with the strong surrounding walls, must have made 'Athlit perhaps the finest town of the period in the country.
- ^ Ellenblum 2007, p. 286
- ISBN 9781317871521.
- ^ "Itinerary from Bordeaux to Jerusalem - 'The Bordeaux Pilgrim' (333 A.D.)", translated by Aubrey Stewart, pub. in: Palestine Pilgrim's Text Society, vol. 1, London 1887, p. 16 (note 8)
- ISBN 9791035105778.
- ^ "Volume 131 Year 2019 'Atlit, Crusader Cemetery".
- ^ Morris, 2004, p. xviii, village #387. Also gives "not known" as cause of depopulation
- ^ Robinson 2020, p. 32, note 14.
- ^ Abu-Husayn 1985, p. 197, note 122.
- ^ Khalidi, 1992, p. 147
- ^ Karmon, 1960, p. 163 Archived 2019-12-22 at the Wayback Machine
- ISBN 9780231506038.
- ISBN 9004110518.
- ^ a b Conder and Kitchener, 1881, SWP I, p. 281
- ^ Socin, 1879, p. 143
- ^ Hartmann, 1883, p. 149
- ^ Schumacher, 1888, p. 179
- ^ File:Atlit historical village, Atlit Colony and Atlit Salt Works 1922 population.jpg
- Bibliography
- Ellenblum, Roni (2007), Crusader Castles and Modern Histories, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, ISBN 978-0-521-86083-3
Further reading
- C. N. Johns, Pilgrim's Castle (Atlit), David's Tower (Jerusalem) and Qal at Ar-Rabad (Ajlun): Three Middle Eastern Castles from the Time of the Crusades, Denys Pringle (Editor), Variorum Collected Studies Series, 1997
- Denys Pringle, Atlit, in Secular buildings in the Crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem: an archaeological Gazetteer, Cambridge University Press, (1997), pp. 22–24
- ISBN 0-485-11305-8
- ISBN 1-84176-827-8
- ISBN 0-521-79913-9