uring all of Templar history, the
Order never held more than 10 castles or strongholds at any one time. This
is different from the Hospitallers, who had seven or eight castles already
in the 1160's, and had a total of 56 strongholds in Latin Syria.
lease note that the list of strongholds
has more castles than actually shown in the map. The map is in the works,
and I must ask you to return later for the updated map.
lease note that the spelling of names
varies between sources.
Stronghold | Location | Date | Notes | |
Ahamant (Amman?) | Northeast of the Dead Sea, "Lying between Jordan on the border of Arabia" | 1166-? | n/a | |
Arima (Aryma) | County of Tripoli | before 1152-? | A castle or fortified town | |
Arsuf | Northern part of the Principality of Antioch | 1213?-1266 | A castle or fortified town | |
'Atlit (Chateau Pelerin or Castle Pilgrim) | A promontory between Jaffa and Haifa | 1218-1291 | See 'Atlit the Impregnable. | |
Baghras (Gaston) | Frontier zone of the March of Amanus between Syria and Asia Minor | 1131 (?), lost in 1188 to Saladin, back in Templar hands 1216-1268, burned and abandoned by Templars 1283 | See Baghras. | |
Banyas | data pending | 1129-1132, again in 1140-1164 | data pending | |
Beaufort (Belfort) | Northeast of Tyre | 1260-1268; held as a fief | Available for attack only from the south and west, because there is a 300 m precipice east and north. | |
Caco (Qaqun) | South of Acre | before 1187-c. 1265 | Minor fort | |
Cafarlet | South of Acre | 1232-1291 | Minor fort | |
Calamella | in the Amanus Mountains in the north | 1140?-1266 | A castle or fortified town | |
Casal des Pleins | close to the coast WNW of Jerusalem | 1187-? | A minor fort | |
Castrum Arnaldi | halfway to the coast WNW from Jerusalem | by 1160-? | A castle or fortified town | |
Chastel Blanc | Northeast of Tripoli | ?-up to 1271 | data pending | |
Chastellet | North of Lake Tiberias | 1178-? | A castle or fortified town | |
Chastel Rouge | Northeast of Tripoli | up to 1271 | data pending | |
Chilvan Kale | in the Amanus Mountains in the north | ?-1268 | A fort or minor stronghold | |
Darbsak | Frontier zone of the March of Amanus between Syria and Asia Minor | 1136-37 until 1188, when taken by Saladin | A minor castle, for whose defence the Templars fought one of their most valiant battles. | |
Doc | close to Acre, SSE of it | 1201-1263 | A minor fort | |
Gaza | Extreme south tip of the Kingdom of Jerusalem, at the edge of the Sinai Desert | 1149, feudal lordship and castle awarded to Templars in 1244 | data pending | |
La Roche Guillaume | Amanus Mountains, Northern Syria | 1140-1266 | data pending | |
Le Chastelet | Frontier castle at Jacob's Ford | Built 1178, reduced to ashes by Saladin 1179 | data pending | |
Le Destroit | Coastal fort south of Acre | before 1187-1220 | data pending | |
Le Feve | Close to Nablus | At least held in 1187 during the Battle of Nazareth | data pending | |
Le Petit Gerin | SSW of Lake Tiberias | before 1184-? | A fort | |
Le Toron des Chevaliers | halfway between Jerusalem and the coast, WNW of the town | 1170 | data pending | |
Maldoim | close to the WNW shore of the Dead Sea | c. 1170-? | data pending | |
Merle | coastal fort south of Le Destroit | c. 1187-1265 | data pending | |
Quarantene | Northern tip of the Dead Sea | 1170-? | data pending | |
Roche Roussel | Frontier zone of the March of Amanus between Syria and Asia Minor | 1136-37 | A minor castle | |
Ruad | An island 2 miles off the coast of Tortosa | Up until 1303 | From 1291 the single Templar installation in Palestine until 1303, when it was evacuated. | |
Safed (Safad, Saphet) | East of Acre | some fort 1163, rebuilt 1240, held until -1266 | Cost a fabulous 1,100,000 Saracen besants to construct (a knight lived in Acre for 500 a year); Had 1,700 people to feed in normal times and 2,200 in times of war; 50 knights, 30 sergeants, 50 Turcopoles, and 300 archers and crossbowmen. From "De constructione castri Saphet", in Riley-Smith. | |
Saffran | South of Acre, halfway between Sea of Galilee and the coastline | post 1272-1291? | data pending | |
Sidon | Coastal castle between Tyre and Tripoli | 1260-1291 | data pending | |
Tortosa | On the coast north of Tripoli | 1152 | See Tortosa. | |
Trapesac | Amanus Mountains | before 1140?-? | Apparently a largish castle. |