The Damiaatjes (English: Little Damiettas) refer to two bells in the St. Bavochurch of Haarlem that ring every night between nine and nine thirty, to signal the closing of the city's gates and commemorate the conquest of the Egyptian city

Damietta Damietta ( arz, دمياط ' ; cop, ⲧⲁⲙⲓⲁϯ, Tamiati) is a port city and the capital of the Damietta Governorate in Egypt, a former bishopric and present multiple Catholic titular see. It is located at the Damietta branch, an easter ...

during the

Siege of Damietta (1218) Battle of Damietta, Sack of Damietta or Siege of Damietta may refer to: *Sack of Damietta (853), a part of the Arab–Byzantine wars * Siege of Damietta (1169), a part of the Crusader invasions of Egypt *Siege of Damietta (1218–1219), a part of th ...

. Though Haarlem no longer has a wall around the city, or gates to close, the bells are still rung every evening. Damietta is also mentioned during the

Fifth Crusade The Fifth Crusade (1217–1221) was a campaign in a series of Crusades by Western Europeans to reacquire Jerusalem and the rest of the Holy Land by first conquering Egypt, ruled by the powerful Ayyubid sultanate, led by Al-Adil I, al-Adil, brothe ...

in 1218/1219, and again during the Seventh crusade in the year 1249. The Haarlem story claims that Haarlem knights and innovative shipbuilders played an important role in the fall of Damietta. Access to the city via the

Nile The Nile, , Bohairic , lg, Kiira , Nobiin language, Nobiin: Áman Dawū is a major north-flowing river in northeastern Africa. It flows into the Mediterranean Sea. The Nile is the longest river in Africa and has historically been considered ...

was closed with a large, heavy harbor chain. A Haarlem ship with a saw on the bow (in Dutch called the "zaagschip") was equipped with an iron saw fastened along the bow and front keel. This ship sawed through the Damietta harbour chain and allowed the fleet to attack the city, which was a success. The Damietta story is however contradicted by the eyewitness account of Oliver of Cologne, who led the Dutch fleet, and who never mentioned the heroic actions of the Haarlem knights. File:Damiaatjes glas-in-lood.JPG, Story in stained glass by

Pieter Holsteyn I Pieter Holsteyn (1585–1662) was a Dutch Golden Age painter, engraver and stained glass worker. Biography Holsteyn was born and died in Haarlem. According to Houbraken who quotes Samuel Ampzing, "Pet. Holstein" was a good glasspainter who ...

for a church in

Bloemendaal Bloemendaal () is a municipality and a town in the Netherlands, in the province of North Holland. Bloemendaal is, together with Wassenaar, the wealthiest place in the Netherlands. In October 2015, after persistent problems with the local governa ...

File:Gouda-Sint-Janskerk-Glas02-unten.jpg, Same theme by

Willem Thibaut Willem Thibaut, Tybaut, or Tibout (1524–1597), was a Dutch Golden Age painter. Biography According to the RKD, Thibaut lived and worked in Haarlem, but made the cartoons for the two stained-glass windows in Sint Janskerk in 1570. Accordin ...

for the St. John's church in Gouda File:Damiate-tapestry-1629.JPG, Tapestry illustrating the story in the

Haarlem City Hall The City Hall in Haarlem is the seat of the city's government. It was built in the 14th century replacing the Count's castle. History Around 1100 a wooden building was constructed on the location of the current ''Gravenzaal'' of the City Hall. ...

Cornelis Claesz van Wieringen Cornelis Claesz van Wieringen (c. 1576 – 29 December 1633) was a Dutch Golden Age painter. Biography Van Wieringen was born and died in Haarlem. He was the son of a Haarlem captain, and drew, painted and etched with his friends Hendrick ...

File:Capturing Damiate.jpg, Same theme by Van Wieringen for the Haarlem civic guard (today in the

Frans Hals Museum The Frans Hals Museum is a museum located in Haarlem, the Netherlands. The museum was established in 1862. In 1950, the museum was split in two locations when the collection of modern art was moved to the '' Museum De Hallen'' (since 2018 called ...

) The story gained in popularity after 1667 when the Dutch fleet broke another chain to win an important naval victory. Haarlem declared itself the inspiration for this deed.

References

* Deugd boven geweld, Een geschiedenis van Haarlem, 1245-1995, edited by Gineke van der Ree-Scholtens, 1995, {{ISBN, 90-6550-504-0, p88 Culture in Haarlem History of Haarlem