Crusades

'Summer at the Movies' program brings family, films, and fun to Israel's national parks

The Summer at the Movies program pairs film screenings with family activities at the best times to experience national parks.

Photo of a screening at Yehi'am Fortress National Park/Courtesy of the Israel Nature and Parks Authority.
An Israeli flag flies over the medieval Beaufort Castle, known locally as Qalaat al-Shaqif or Shaqif Arnoun, as seen from the Marjayoun area of southern Lebanon on May 31, 2026.

What is Beaufort Castle, the historic Crusader fortress Israel now holds in Lebanon? - explainer

The Armenian Quarter of the Old City of Jerusalem.

Armenian Quarter residents descend from genocide survivors, bishop says ahead of exclusive tours

Ancient Crusader sword, dated to the 12th century CE, discovered off of Israel's Dor Beach in northern Israel, February 22, 2026.

Amateur diver finds Crusader-era sword off Israel’s coast, for the second time


Archaeologists stunned at ancient moat, handprints found in Jerusalem

This moat, now dry, was believed to have kept the first Crusaders from breaching the city of Jerusalem.

 The carved hand on the moat wall

England fans face stadium ban over crusader costumes in Qatar

England fans have been wearing crusader replica costumes for years, but now as the World Cup has arrived in Qatar, those costumes are perceived as offensive.

England fan inside the stadium before the match between England and Iran in the group stage of the World Cup on November 21, 2022.

New excavations could uncover final days of besieged Crusader fortress

In 1261 the fortress was leased to the Crusader Knights Hospitaller who began its fortification. Just four years later, in 1265 CE the fortress fell to the Mamluks who razed it to the ground.

 Apollonia National Park.

Chimes from Crusader times: Recreating Nativity Church's Medieval music

Mid-13th century Crusaders buried the 13 bronze bells near the church on the eve of a Muslim offensive, slathering them in animal fat to protect them from rust

 Father Stephane, Franciscan Friar and Liturgist of the Custody of the Holy Land holds an organ pipe, part of a collection from the 12th century that researchers say used to play music inside Bethlehem's Church of the Nativity and was hidden together with bells by Crusaders.

Ancient Crusader castle exposed in new novel

A novel that brings out the secrets of the medieval Galilee landmark

 MONTFORT CASTLE.

First archaeological evidence for Crusader camp found in Israel

A team of Israeli archaeological researchers identified a Crusader encampment in the area of the Tzipori Springs in Galilee, the first time that a Crusader encampment was found in the field.

Aerial view of the excavations at Ein Tzipori during the 2012 season. Looking east, with Field I to the left and Field II to the right of Road 79.

Crusader mass grave in Lebanon sheds light on cruelty of medieval warfare

Archaeologists managed to reconstruct the rest of 25 individuals, all men, and analyzed their wounds.

Tourists walk at the sea castle of the port-city of Sidon, southern Lebanon October 3, 2011.

On This Day: Treaty of Jaffa signed, ending the Third Crusade

Signed by England's King Richard the Lionheart and Ayyubid Sultan Saladin, the treaty left Jerusalem under Islamic control, which guaranteed Jews could remain in the city.

 England's King Richard the Lionheart is seen in an artist's depiction of the Battle of Jaffa in 1192.

Siege ramp from Crusader era still protects Ashkelon

While this ramp may have been built originally as part of a war, its remains have served a very different and peaceful purpose: preventing sand from drifting into the city.

A view of the northwestern Ashkelon area.

'The Convert' - A conversion into the unknown

Though The Convert is far from a happy story, it is refreshing to read a new novel about European Jewish life outside of the context of the Holocaust, and this refugee tale still resonates strongly.

SALADIN AND Guy de Lusignan after the Battle of Hattin, in 1187 during the Crusades. The novel takes place during the First Crusade