Muslim Fortresses in the Levant: Between Crusaders and Mongols (30 page)

Although the construction might not be of the strongest or of the highest quality, the design and layout made it a fairly complicated arrangement. In times of peace, but even more so in times of attack, it is hard to imagine a horse led through such a complex,
¹⁶⁰
or a group of enemy soldiers bursting their way in with ease.

The entrance design of round solid towers flanking the gate can be found in Umayyad fortresses, khans and palaces built along the lines of the Roman and Byzantine
castrum
(military camp).
¹⁶¹

The combination of tower and “bent entrance”

Since
almost doubled in size during the second building phase in 1230, two new gates were required to serve the new western quarters. The first gate tower at
was constructed on the western side (
Figure 1.8
). It followed the plan of the bent entrance, but was encased in a tower and built on a grand scale with exceptionally thick walls (2.5–3.7m). The entrance was protected by a portcullis, and the doors were probably coated with sheets of iron to shield them from fire.
¹⁶²
The gate tower was well protected from siege machines by having the outer entrance face south, making it almost impossible to station siege machines directly opposite it. The main defense of the tower was provided by archers posted on the roof behind merlons.

Following what was by 1230 a well-established tradition, the gate was adorned with an inscription commemorating the work of
.
¹⁶³
This tower served as the main entrance also during the Mamluk period but underwent further reconstruction that bears witness to some of the finest achievements of Mamluk builders.

In addition to the three large gates,
had one small exit in the north, a short and narrow vaulted corridor running along the width of the curtain wall and

Figure 1.7
Main gates in Ayyubid fortresses

leading to the steep slope of
Govta. It may have been used to send or receive a messenger if the fort was under siege, or as an exit for an infantry sortie (
Figure 1.9
).

Whoever planned the fortress at Mount Tabor was extremely cautious or simply very economical with the use of gates. Only three gates were built in a fortress whose circumference measures 1530m.

The main gate at the center of the eastern side was probably encased in a tower.
¹⁶⁴
It is difficult to reconstruct this structure since even the foundations can barely be seen and the new gate, built by the Franciscans, demolished the little that had survived the effects of weather and time. Bagatti and Battista reconstructed a simple straight entrance, although it seems they had little real evidence to support this idea. Thee may have been a two-point turn, which seems more common in both Frankish and Muslim gates built in the thirteenth century.

Figure 1.8
, reconstruction of the Ayyubid gate-tower

The main gate that awaits the visitor to
is most impressive. As you walk through the long, beautifully lit corridors, up staircases and under arched entrances, the complexity and length are striking. This site, however, is somewhat misleading. The maze of inner walls makes it difficult to follow or distinguish the different stages of construction that the main gate underwent during the three Ayyubid building phases.
¹⁵⁵

The first gate built at
was a simple straight entrance with no complicated sharp turns or angles (
Figure 1.10a
). It was placed on the west and was protected by flanking fire from the towers at its sides. During the second building phase (1184–1215) it became a two-point turn system (
Figure 1.10b
). In the third and last phase