Crusader Sites in Galilee

Acre OR Akko Crusader Dining Hall

A constant stream of Christian pilgrims from Europe visited the Holy Land from the 4th C. on.

But in the 11th C. pilgrims could no longer cross Asia Minor to reach the Holy Land due to tensions and turmoil caused by warring factions.

The crusader kingdom had begun by the call of Pope Urban II for rich and poor to rise up together and march to rescue the holy places from the ‘infidels’ doing God’s work.

The Kingdom began its decline at the Horns of Hattin, when Saladin’s army crushed the Crusaders.

 

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Synopsis

Stationed around the Horns of Hattin, overlooking the Sea of Galilee, Guy de Lusignan, King of the Crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem faced Salah El Din, legendary leader of the Islamic Empire, in the fatal battle that ensued on Friday July 3rd, 1187. The tour will take us to this site and others touched by the crusaders marches.

Tour Itinerary

Tour Code: HCRU1

  • Drive east from Haifa, across the Lower Galilee to the HORNS OF HATTIN, an extinct volcano strategically positioned (326 m./1075 ft. above sea level) on the road to Tiberias. The story of the battle will be recounted as we try to understand what led to the collapse of the Crusader Kingdom.
  • Drive to the Upper Galilee to SAFED or TSFAT originating from the word “Tsofeh” (meaning overlooking). It’s strategic location, over 850 m. /2800  ft high, was one of the reasons it’s highest point was used by the Templar Order of the Crusaders, as a building site with citadel and surrounding moat. Safed’s position helped in marking the Jewish Calendar according to the lunar cycle, as fires were built at the highest point and people far away would see the smoke and know the new month had arrived.
  • Continue west through the Upper Galilee to MONTFORT – a popular hiking area combining Crusader history with nature scenes and water flowing down Nahal Kziv (Kziv stream). Located in a narrow and steep cliff it started as an agricultural farm, however it did not control any roads or other strategic points as did most crusader sites. The German Teutonic Order of Knights transformed this site into a fortress in the 13th C. because they were forced from Akko having been loathed by the other two orders – The Templars and The Hospitallers. This was the reason that the Pope initiated a campaign to obtain the necessary funds to assist the Teutonic Knights in establishing their centre in Montfort.
  • Continue towards the coast.
  • End the day with a visit to ACRE (AKKO), capital of the 2nd Crusader Kingdom and best known for the part it played as a gateway port city to the Holy Land during the crusader period with its intricate subterranean city of Crusader halls and sanctuaries.

NOTE: THIS TOUR REQUIRES SOME HIKING AND MAY NOT BE SUITABLE TO THE VERY ELDERLY OR THOSE WHO HAVE DIFFICULTY WALKING IN ROUGH TERRAIN.

“IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT CRUISE EXCURSIONS”

Tour Options

This tour is also operated as a PRIVATE TOUR, enabling you to travel within the realm of your own circle of friends or the intimacy of your own family with the flexibility to adapt an itinerary to suit your group and interests. Below is a list of sites on the same route and close in themes which can be exchanged or added, depending on personal preferences and time constraints.

OPTIONAL SITES

Belvoir (Kochav HaYarden): a crusader fortress located some 20 km. south of the Sea of Galilee and about 500 meters above the Jordan Valley overlooking the winding Jordan River below and facing the hills of Gilead in what is today the Kingdom of Jordan.
Yehi’am Fortress: The construction date of the Yehi’am Fortress is unknown, but apparently it was originally part of the Ma’iliyah estate, and was later sold to the Crusader Teutonic knights who also purchased nearby Montfort Fortress.