Syria and the Crusades

Though the Islamic caliphates of the Umayyads, Abbasids, and Fatimids were the dominate forces in Syria from the seventh to the eleventh centuries, local elites also founded powerful kingdoms in the region, especially in Northern Syria around the city of Aleppo (i.e., the Ayyubid dynasty). Drastic changes came in the late eleventh century, however, with the start of the Christian Crusades. The Crusaders from western Europe set out with the goal to reclaim the Holy Land (i.e., Jerusalem) in the name of their religion. In route to doing so, the leaders of the Crusades set up for themselves kingdoms carved form conquered territories, mostly along the Mediterranean coast north of Damascus, as well as much of modern Israel, Palestine, Lebanon, Cyprus, and parts of southeastern Turkey (Edessa). The Crusader period saw the large-scale construction of castles and fortifications that marked-out the centers of Crusader political rule. The famous Krak des Chevaliers and the Marqab castle in Western Syria stand as architectural testaments to the tumultuous period of warfare that the Crusades engendered. The building activities of the Crusaders feature prominently in the Kidner collection, as well as Islamic fortifications. Following the withdrawal of the last Crusaders in 1291, Syria remained at the center of regional power struggles, involving the Mamluks, Mongols, and the armies of Tamerlane. The region eventually came under Ottoman rule in 1516.