This page contains links to 72 photographs of Levantine castles and portions of detailed maps showing their locations. The pictures are taken from two books.

Les Châteaux des Croisés en Terre Sainte: Le Crac des Chevaliers, étude historique et archéologique précédée d'une introduction générale sur la Syrie Franque, vol. "Album", by Paul Deschamps, Bibliothèque Archéologique et Historique, Tome XIX, Paris, Librairie Orientaliste Paul Geuthner, 1934. (This book will be avreviated with: CDC).

Les Châteaux des Croisés en Terre Sainte II: La Défense du Royaume de Jérusalem, étude historique, géographique et monumentale, vol. "Album", by Paul Deschamps, Bibliothèque Archéologique et Historique, Tome XXXIV, Paris, Librairie Orientaliste Paul Geuthner, 1939. (This book is abreviated with: DRJ).

The names of the pictures are composed of: the name of the locality (Crac des Chevaliers), the name of the book (CDC), the number of the "planche" (XLVII: the plate on which the pictures are mounted, rather than the page number) and the number of the picture (B).Whenever available, extra information follows, also the name of the person who took the photo and the date.

An example of such a name would then be: Crac_des_Chevaliers-CDC-XLVII-B: Face nord-est avec poterne masquée par un contrefort, Phot. Capitaine Lamblin.

From the date of publication of the books, the pictures in the CDC are no later than 1934 and the pictures i DRJ are no later than 1939.

The maps are repoductions of sections of the map: Carte Générale du Liban 1/200 000e, Routière et Technique; Ministère de la Défense Nationale, État-Major de L'Armée: Direction des Affaires Géographiques, Beyrouth, (1972?). The maps are designated by the general region they depict. In cases where they depict more specific regions, the general region is indicated, followed by the specific locality.

October 1994
Børre Ludvigsen, Elie Wardini

  • Map-Levant-CDC-I: The Coast of Syria; map by Guglielmo Soleri. Majorque, 1380. (Bibl. Nat., sect. géogr., Ge B. 1131)
  • Map-Tyre-Tibnin-Beaufort
  • Map-Marj@un-Beaufort
  • Beaufort-DRJ-LVIII-A: Eastern front, Phot. 39e demi-Brigade du Levant
  • Beaufort-DRJ-LVIII-B: Eastern front, Phot. 39e demi-Brigade du Levant
  • Beaufort-DRJ-LIX: The whole Southern Front; from left to right: tower 6, tower 5, the great hall indicated by an arrow, the lower court. We see after tower 5 the footpath that lead to the lower court before the excavations of 1937. Entrance A was in the foreground at the foot of Tower 5. The end of the ramp that ascended from the halls uden the lower court appears to the right of the white horse,Phot. 39e demi-Brigade du Levant
  • Beaufort-DRJ-LVII: Southern Front, Phot. 39e demi-Brigade du Levant
  • Beaufort-DRJ-LVI: Western Front, Phot. 39e demi-Brigade du Levant
  • Beaufort-DRJ-LV: Northern Face and the Valley of the Litani, Phot. 39e demi-Brigade du Levant
  • Beaufort-DRJ-LIV: Vertical photo from a plane, Phot. 39e demi-Brigade du Levant
  • Beaufort-DRJ-LIII: Vertical photo from a plane, at the top to the right the Litani river and the road, Phot. 39e demi-Brigade du Levant
  • Beaufort-DRJ-LXVII: The begining of the Western Front; to the right tower 6, and at its left, gate C, Phot. Paul Deschamps
  • Beaufort-DRJ-LXII: Eastern Front above the Litani, Phot. Service des Antiquites de Syrie
  • Crac des Chevaliers-CDC-XXXVI: The two Enclosures, view from a south-western angle from the first enclosure, Twoers 4, 3, 2 ≠ Towers O. and P., Phot. Paul Deschamps
  • Crac des Chevaliers-CDC-XXIV: View from Plane to the north, Phot. 39e Régiment d'Aviation
  • Crac des Chevaliers-CDC-XXVIII: View taken from the North, Phot. Paul Deschamps
  • Crac des Chevaliers-CDC-XXXIX: The great Slope on the Western Side of the 2nd Enclosure, view taken from the North. Towers P, O, K., Phot. Capitaine Lamblin
  • Crac des Chevaliers-CDC-XXXV: The Southern Side of the 1st enclosure; the side of the 7th projection, small court, tower 8, towers K. and J. of the second enclosure, Phot. Paul Deschamps
  • Crac des Chevaliers-CDC-LII: The Court seen from the porch of the chapel. To the right, staircase ascending to the open space; to the right a galery touching the great hall; in the background, reverse of tower J., Phot. Paul Deschamps
  • Crac des Chevaliers-CDC-XL: View taken from a West-South angle; towers P, O, K, J.; t the right the summit of the M construction, Phot. Paul Deschamps
  • Crac des Chevaliers-CDC-XXXVIII: 2nd enclosure. West-South angle; from left to righttwoers P, O, K, J.; to the right the great Water Tank, Phot. Paul Deschamps
  • Crac des Chevaliers-CDC-XCI-AB: A: View taken from the North, to the right staircase passing above the exit of the rampand leading to the open court. In the background tower I, small court and tower J. To the right the reimforcements of the Galery; B: View taken from the open court to the South. Terrace to the left of the great hall and the galery; in the backgroundsummit of construction P; in the center reinforcemens of the galery, porch of the chapel, staircase leading to the platform of construction H and the chapel, Phot. Capitaine Lamblin and P. Deschamps
  • Crac des Chevaliers-CDC-LIII: Open space, staircase passing the "saut-de-loup"; reverse side of twoer J, Phot. Capitaine Lamblin
  • Crac des Chevaliers-CDC-CXVII-AB: A: Soldiers of the Alawite Batallion working with the clearing; B: Clearing the lower halls via a bay from tower I
  • Crac des Chevaliers-CDC-XLVI: 2nd enclosure to the East; gate at the extrimity of the element of the rampe; small court, headbord of the chape Phot. Paul Deschamps
  • Crac des Chevaliers-CDC-XLVII-AB: Construction P; A: North-Western Side with the great "mâchicoulis"; B: North-Eastern Side with small gate protected by an reinforcement, Phot. Capitaine Lamblin
  • Crac des Chevaliers-CDC-XLIV: Tower K. Eastern Side; Entrance to the "Quarters of the Master", Phot. Capitaine Lamblin
  • Crac des Chevaliers-CDC-LIV: Galery touching on the great hall; view taken from the South, Phot. Capitaine Lamblin
  • Crac des Chevaliers-CDC-XXXII: Southern Side, Phot. Capitaine Lamblin
  • Crac des Chevaliers-CDC-XXXIII: The Village of Haret Hosn at the foot of the Crac des Chevaliers at the North-East, Phot. Capitaine Lamblin
  • Crac des Chevaliers-CDC-XXX: in the North; from left to right: slope 10, slope 11 with the main entrance. At the centre between 2 round towers (12 and 13) a small northern gate; to the right towers 1 and 2 (Western Side); at the back, between towers 13 and 1, construction P, Phot. Capitaine Lamblin
  • Crac des Chevaliers-CDC-XXXVII: View taken from the North. At the centre: foreground: Tower O and further tower K. To the right 1st eenclosure, to the West. In the background reverse side of tower J.,Phot. Paul Deschamps
  • Crac des Chevaliers-CDC-XXXIV: Part of the Southern Side of the 1st enclosure, aqueduct and slope 7, Phot. Capitaine Lamblin
  • Crac des Chevaliers-CDC-XXIX: Eastern Side, Phot. Capitaine Lamblin
  • Crac des Chevaliers-CDC-XLIII: The great Water-tank, view taken from the west; to the left Towers K and J. to the right slope 7 Phot. Paul Deschamps
  • Crac des Chevaliers-CDC-XXXI: Western Side, Phot. Capitaine Lamblin
  • Crac des Chevaliers-CDC-XXV: Vertical view from a plane, Phot. 39e Régiment d'Aviation
  • Crac des Chevaliers-CDC-XLI: Southern Side of the 2nd enclosure. Towers K, J, I, M. To the left the 1st enclosure to the west, Phot. Capitaine Lamblin
  • Crac des Chevaliers-CDC-XXIII: View from a planetaken to the East, Phot. 39e Régiment d'Aviation
  • Crac des Chevaliers-CDC-XLV: projection of the chapel and the small court to the Southern Side. View taken from the gate at the extrimity of the 2nd element of the ramp, Phot. Capitaine Lamblin
  • Crac des Chevaliers-CDC-XLII: Southern Side of the 2nd enclosure; view taken from the East; Towers K and J above the great Water, Phot. Paul Deschamps
  • Crac des Chevaliers-CDC-XXII: View taken from a plane; To the South, to the left we can distinguish the triangle formed by the crevase in front of the Fort; In the foreground, the villages situated at the foot of the Crac, Phot. 39e Régiment d'Aviation
  • Map-Jbayl
  • Jbayl-CDC-XV: City and Port of Giblet (Djebeil), Phot. 39e Régiment d'Aviation
  • Map-Nahr_el-Kalb
  • Nahr_el-Kalb-DRJ-XCII: The Mouth of Nahr el-Kalb (Dog River), Phot. 39e demi-Brigade du Levant
  • Map-Saida
  • Saida-Land-Fort-DRJ-LXXXVIII-A: The Land Fort, Phot. Coupel
  • Saida-Land-Fort-DRJ-LXXXVIII-B: The Land Fort, Phot. Coupel
  • Saida-DRJ-LXXXVII-A: In the centre, the Land Fort, in the background, to the right, the Sea Fort, Phot. 39e demi-Brigade du Levant
  • Saida-DRJ-LXXXVII-B: View from the Sea. In the Forefront the sea Fort; in the background the Land Fort, Phot. 39e demi-Brigade du Levant
  • Saida-Sea-Fort-DRJ-LXXXIX-A: Saida and the Sea Fort, Phot. 39e demi-Brigade du Levant
  • Saida-Sea-Fort-DRJ-LXXXIX-B: Saida and the Sea Fort, Phot. 39e demi-Brigade du Levant
  • Saida-Sea-Fort-DRJ-XCI: Saida, The Fort of the Sea, Phot. 39e demi-Brigade du Levant
  • Saida-Sea-Fort-DRJ-XC: Saida, The Fort of the Sea and the bridge of the XIIIth cnt. before its destruction in 1936, Phot. 39e demi-Brigade du Levant
  • Map-Saida-Belhacem
  • Saida-Belhacem-DRJ-LXXXIII: Southern Tip and Eastern Side, Phot. 39e demi-Brigade du Levant
  • Saida-Belhacem-DRJ-LXXXV-A: South-East, the first gate appears behind the trunc of a tree, Phot. service des Antiquités de Syrie
  • Saida-Sea-Fort-CDC-XVI-B: Sea Fort built in 1227-1228, Phot. Paul Deschamps
  • Saida-CDC-XIII-B: Sagette (Saida), view from the sea. The Sea Fort and the Land Fort. Drawing by Gravier d'Orcières, 1685.
  • Saida-CDC-XVI-A: Sagette (Saida), in the foreground, the bridge connecting the Sea Fort to the city; in the background the Land Fort, called The Fort of Saint-Louis, (View taken from the Sea Fort), Phot. Bonfils
  • Tibnin-Toron-Fort-DRJ-XXXIII-A: South-Western Side, Phot. 39e demi-Brigade du Levant
  • Tibnin-Toron-Fort-DRJ-XXXIII-B: Above the person are the rests of the Northern Frankish wall, Phot. Paul Deschamps
  • Tibnin-Toron-Fort-DRJ-XXXII-A: Western Side, Phot. 39e demi-Brigade du Levant
  • Tibnin-Toron-Fort-DRJ-XXXII-B: Northern Side, Phot. 39e demi-Brigade du Levant
  • Tibnin-Toron-Fort-CDC-XXI-A: The Toron Fort (Tibnin, Syria). Lake at the foot of the Fort, Phot. Paul Deschemps
  • Map-Tripoli
  • Tripoli-CDC-III: In the foreground, the Palace built by Raymond de Sanit-Gilles. At the foot of the Palaceruns the Nahr Abou ali, Phot. Capitaine Lamblin Coll. du 39e Régiment d'Aviation, 29 August 1927
  • Tripoli-Qlay@at-CDC-XVII-A: Fort of Coliat, Phot. 39e Régiment d'Aviation
  • Tripoli-CDC-II: The Port (the ancient city) and the city of Tripoli. In the back, indicated by a cross, the palace of Raymond de Saint-Gilles, arround which is built the city, Phot. Capitaine Lamblin Coll. of the 39e Régiment d'Aviation
  • Map-Tyre-Tibnin
  • Tyre-CDC-XI-A: The Port, Phot. 39e Régiment d'Aviation

----------------

al@mashriq                       941010/960118