Caesarea in the Middle Ages / Crusader Fortifications

, Caesarea in the Middle Ages , In the course of the 7th century, Caesarea's population started to decrease. Large areas of the city were abandoned, and were used only as burial grounds and as a source of building stones. The perimeter of the city shrank and was similar to the one visible today , that of the Crusader city. Like other coastal cities - Arsuf, Jaffa, Ashkelon, Gaza - Caesarea became a ribbat (a seaside fortress for guarding the coast, garrisoned by troops trained in the spirit of the Jihad), which served as a shelter for the local population during periods of danger., During the Abbesid and Fatimid periods, Caesarea once again flourished as a city of commerce and industry, and Muslim travelers extolled its beauty. The Crusades started in the 11th century. The Crusaders brought with them European architecture and their faith. Once again, Caesarea was a Christian city. From 1101 to 1265, the city passed several times from the hands of the Crusaders into those of the Muslims, – at times thoroughly abandoned, until its final fall in 1265 to the forces of the Mamluk sultan Baybars., Crusader Fortifications , The fortifications visible today were built anew by Louis IX, king of France, who came to the Holy Land with the Sixth Crusade in the 13th century. They represent exemplary Gothic European military architecture. The Eastern gate was the main gate of the Crusader city. Apparently, the fortifications were built on top of or as a restoration of previous fortifications which had been destroyed by the Ayyubid sultan Salah ad-Din (Saladin) in 1187. Actually, Muslim travelers describe Caesarea as a well-fortified city with a citadel, and archaeological excavations have exposed fortifications remains which can be dated to the period of the governor Ahmad Ibn Tulun, at the end of the 9th Century.,