8 Crusade trips page 1 of 1
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Communing With Crusaders in Krak des Chevaliers, Syria
If you’ve ever wondered what a fairytale castle looks like, then come to Krak des Chevaliers. Built by the Crusaders over 800 years ago, and never breached in combat, the castle continues to spit…
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Discovering the Real Meaning of Assassin in Gazor Khan, Iran
The Crusaders might have had a more difficult time getting here and the bus is surely faster than Freya Starke's donkey, but the windy trip into the ancient realm of the mythical Hashshashin is…
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Searching for Peace on a Mountaintop in Meron, Israel
One of Israel’s best kept secrets lies far from the Old City walls of Jerusalem and at the heart of the Galilee. Mount Meron is Israel’s second highest point and is surrounded by lush,…
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Watching for Pirates From Kantara Castle, Cyprus
Kantara Castle is the easternmost and lowest of the three castles built to protect northern Cyprus from marauding Arab pirates—and it's been doing the job since Byzantine times. Perched atop a craggy hill at…
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Changing Sides in Girne, Northern Cyprus
As you drive the rented jeep through the lemon and orange groves with the Finger Mountains rising up behind you and approach the main highway you remind yourself repeatedly, "don't forget that everything is…
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Searching for Secrets in St. Hilarion Castle in Kyrenia, Cyprus
The Byzantine St. Hilarion Castle peers down on Kyrenia from the steep range of hills to the south of the town. A well-preserved mash-up of tunnels and towers, arches and halls, the castle seems…
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Idling Around the Abbey in Bellapais, Cyprus
Bellapais Abbey was built in the 13th century as a refuge for churchmen fleeing Palestine. But by the 14th century, it had developed a scandalous reputation, the lazy friars known more for their concubines…
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Pondering Bloody History in Famagusta, Cyprus
Something's not quite right. You're standing in the main square of historic Famagusta, admiring the intricate Gothic facade of what was once the St. Nicholas Cathedral. But tacked on to the left of the…
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