Château Pèlerin (
Old French
Old French (, , ; ) was the language spoken in most of the northern half of France approximately between the late 8th : Chastel Pelerin; ), also known as Atlit and Magdiel, is a
Crusader fortress and fortified town located about north of the modern Israeli town of Atlit (modern town)">Atlit
Atlit or Athlit may refer to:
Places
* Atlit, an historical fortified town in Israel, also known as Château Pèlerin
* Atlit (modern town), a nearby town in Israel
Media
*Athlit (album), ''Athlit'' (album), an ambient music album by Oöphoi
*Atli ...
on the northern coast of Israel, about south of
Haifa
Haifa ( ; , ; ) is the List of cities in Israel, third-largest city in Israel—after Jerusalem and Tel Aviv—with a population of in . The city of Haifa forms part of the Haifa metropolitan area, the third-most populous metropolitan area i ...
. Château Pèlerin is located inside the
Atlit naval base.
The Knights Templar began building the fortress in 1218 during the
Fifth Crusade
The Fifth Crusade (September 1217 - August 29, 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- ...
. One of the major Crusader fortresses, it could support up to 4,000 troops in
siege
A siege () . is a military blockade of a city, or fortress, with the intent of conquering by attrition, or by well-prepared assault. Siege warfare (also called siegecrafts or poliorcetics) is a form of constant, low-intensity conflict charact ...
conditions. It became for a short time the headquarters of the Crusaders; according to
Claude Reignier Conder its architecture "must have made ‘Athlit perhaps the finest town of the period in the country". It has been described as the "crowning example of Crusader military architecture", although
T. E. Lawrence found it lacking in elegance and imagination in terms of military architecture, settling on massiveness instead. In early August 1291, three months after the
Siege of Acre, the forces of
Al-Ashraf Khalil
Al-Malik Al-Ashraf Salāh ad-Dīn Khalil ibn Qalawūn (; c. 1260s – 14 December 1293) was the eighth Turkic Bahri dynasty, Bahri Mamluk Sultanate, Mamluk sultan, succeeding his father Qalawun. He served from 12 November 1290 until his assassi ...
conquered Atlit, which was at that point the last remaining Crusader outpost in Syria, thus permanently ending Crusader presence in the region.
The fortress remained intact for several hundred years, until suffering damage in the
Galilee earthquake of 1837
The Galilee earthquake of 1837, often called the Safed earthquake, shook the Galilee on January 1 and is one of a number of moderate to large events that have occurred along the Dead Sea Transform fault system that marks the boundary of two tecto ...
. In the 14th century, it became home to a large concentration of
Oirat Mongols
Oirats (; ) or Oirds ( ; ), formerly known as Eluts and Eleuths ( or ; zh, 厄魯特, ''Èlǔtè'') are the westernmost group of Mongols, whose ancestral home is in the Altai region of Siberia, Xinjiang and western Mongolia.
The first docume ...
. During early
Ottoman rule, in the 16th century, it was recorded in tax registers as a port of call and a farm. Later, in the 19th century, it was a small fishing village under the influence of the local al-Madi family.
It was depopulated of its Palestinian inhabitants in 1948. In modern times, the castle is part of the
Atlit naval base, a training zone for Israeli Naval commandos.
History
Roman period
In the ''
Bordeaux Itinerary'', the town is known in Latin as Certa.
Crusader period

Construction began in early spring 1218 during the period of the
Fifth Crusade
The Fifth Crusade (September 1217 - August 29, 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- ...
by the Knights Templar, replacing the earlier castle of
Le Destroit which was situated slightly back from the coast. The castle was built on a promontory, with two main walls cutting the citadel off from the land. The outer wall was approximately 15 metres high and 6 metres thick, with three square towers situated about 44 metres apart, projecting out by 12 metres with a level platform on the roof probably for artillery. In front ran a shallow ditch dug at sea level cut into the bedrock. The inner wall was approximately 30 metres high by 12 metres, with two square towers, the north and south each approximately 34 metres tall. As the inner wall was taller than the outer wall, defenders were able to shoot at targets over the first wall allowing greater protection from return fire by the besiegers. Part of the design of the castle included a protected harbour on the south side of the promontory. It also had three fresh water wells within its enclosure. The castle was capable of supporting up to 4000 troops during a siege, as it did in 1220. The settlement of Atlit developed outside the castle's outer wall and was later fortified. The castle's position dominated the north–south coastal route, and surrounding countryside allowing it to draw revenue from tolls and rents, going some way to pay for the running costs of the castle; as well as providing protection for pilgrims. The castle probably got its name from pilgrims who volunteered their labour during its construction. There is a large Crusader cemetery (80 x 100 metres) north of the castle, on the beach, containing hundreds of graves, some with carved grave markers.
The castle was under the control of the Knights Templar and was never taken in siege due to its excellent location and design and its ability to be resupplied by sea. It was besieged in 1220 by the
Ayyubids
The Ayyubid dynasty (), also known as the Ayyubid Sultanate, was the founding dynasty of the medieval Sultanate of Egypt established by Saladin in 1171, following his abolition of the Fatimid Caliphate of Egypt. A Sunni Muslim of Kurdish ori ...
, under the command of
al-Malik al-Mu'azzam. It came under siege by the
Mamluks
Mamluk or Mamaluk (; (singular), , ''mamālīk'' (plural); translated as "one who is owned", meaning "slave") were non-Arab, ethnically diverse (mostly Turkic, Caucasian, Eastern and Southeastern European) enslaved mercenaries, slave-sold ...
under
Sultan Baybars in 1265, during which the settlement of 'Atlit was destroyed. With the
fall of Acre and collapse of the
Kingdom of Jerusalem
The Kingdom of Jerusalem, also known as the Crusader Kingdom, was one of the Crusader states established in the Levant immediately after the First Crusade. It lasted for almost two hundred years, from the accession of Godfrey of Bouillon in 1 ...
by the Mamluks under
Sultan al-Ashraf Khalil, the Knights Templar lost their main roles of defence of the Holy land and security of pilgrims to the Holy Sites. The castle could now only be resupplied by sea, so the castle was evacuated between 3 and 14 August 1291.
Mamluk period
The castle was not demolished by the Mamluks as was their normal practice after capturing a crusader fortification and remained in good condition until it suffered severe damage during the
Galilee earthquake of 1837
The Galilee earthquake of 1837, often called the Safed earthquake, shook the Galilee on January 1 and is one of a number of moderate to large events that have occurred along the Dead Sea Transform fault system that marks the boundary of two tecto ...
, and was also further damaged by
Ibrahim Pasha in 1840, who used it as a source of stone for Acre.
In 1296, during the beginnings of
Mamluk
Mamluk or Mamaluk (; (singular), , ''mamālīk'' (plural); translated as "one who is owned", meaning "slave") were non-Arab, ethnically diverse (mostly Turkic, Caucasian, Eastern and Southeastern European) enslaved mercenaries, slave-so ...
rule in the coastlands of Palestine, 10,000 to 18,000
Oirat Mongols entered the Mamluk realm as part of a defecting
Ilkhanid
The Ilkhanate or Il-khanate was a Mongol khanate founded in the southwestern territories of the Mongol Empire. It was ruled by the Il-Khans or Ilkhanids (), and known to the Mongols as ''Hülegü Ulus'' (). The Ilkhanid realm was officially known ...
troop, followed by smaller waves of arrivals. Although they originally established themselves in
Cairo
Cairo ( ; , ) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Egypt and the Cairo Governorate, being home to more than 10 million people. It is also part of the List of urban agglomerations in Africa, largest urban agglomeration in Africa, L ...
, most were eventually relocated to Atlit and northwestern
Syria
Syria, officially the Syrian Arab Republic, is a country in West Asia located in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Levant. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Turkey to Syria–Turkey border, the north, Iraq to Iraq–Syria border, t ...
by the Mamluks.
Ottoman period
The ''iskele'' (port of call or wharf) of Atlit, along with those of nearby
Tantura
Tantura (, ''al-Tantura'', lit. ''The Peak''; Hebrew and Phoenician: דור, ''Dor'') was a Palestinian Arab fishing village located northwest of Zikhron Ya'akov on the Mediterranean coast of Israel. Near the village lie the ruins of the anci ...
and
Tirat Lawza generated annual revenues of 5,000
akces in 1538, during
Ottoman rule (1517–1917). In 1596 Atlit was recorded as a farm that paid taxes to the government.
[Khalidi, 1992, p. 147]
In
1799
Events
January–March
* January 9 – British Prime Minister William Pitt the Younger introduces an income tax of two shillings to the pound, to raise funds for Great Britain's war effort in the French Revolutionary Wars.
* January ...
, it appeared as the village Atlit on the map that
Pierre Jacotin
Pierre Jacotin (1765–1827) was the director of the Surveying, survey for the ''Carte de l'Égypte (Description de l'Égypte)'', the first triangulation-based map of Egypt, Syria and Palestine.
The maps were drafted in 1799–1800 during Napole ...
compiled that year.
During the rule of
Acre
The acre ( ) is a Unit of measurement, unit of land area used in the Imperial units, British imperial and the United States customary units#Area, United States customary systems. It is traditionally defined as the area of one Chain (unit), ch ...
governor
Sulayman Pasha al-Adil (1805–1819), Atlit was the headquarters of local strongman
Mas'ud al-Madi, who was appointed the ''
mutasallim'' (tax collector/enforcer) of the Atlit coast, which consisted of the territory that stretched from
Umm Khalid
Umm Khalid (), also called Mukhalid, was a Palestinian people, Palestinian village in the Tulkarm Subdistrict, west of Tulkarm. It was an ancient site in the central coastline of what is now the city of Netanya, Israel.
History
Archaeological ...
to
Haifa
Haifa ( ; , ; ) is the List of cities in Israel, third-largest city in Israel—after Jerusalem and Tel Aviv—with a population of in . The city of Haifa forms part of the Haifa metropolitan area, the third-most populous metropolitan area i ...
. In 1859, the population was stated to be "200 souls", and their tillage 20
feddan
A feddan () is a unit of area used in Egypt, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, and Oman. In Classical Arabic, the word means 'a yoke of oxen', implying the area of ground that could be tilled by oxen in a certain time. In Egypt, the feddan is the only n ...
s, according to the English consul Rogers.
[Conder and Kitchener, 1881, SWP I, p]
281
/ref>
An Ottoman village list of about 1870 showed that Atlit had 9 houses and a population of 33, though the population count included men only. In 1881, the PEF's ''Survey of Western Palestine
The PEF Survey of Palestine was a series of surveys carried out by the Palestine Exploration Fund (PEF) between 1872 and 1877 for the completed Survey of Western Palestine (SWP) and in 1880 for the soon abandoned Survey of Eastern Palestine. The ...
'' noted the existence of an hamlet covering a good portion of the ancient site.[ A population list from about 1887 showed that Atlit had about 180 inhabitants; all Muslims.
]
British Mandate Period
The population declined in the early 20th century; the 1922 census of Palestine
The 1922 census of Palestine was the first census carried out by the authorities of the British Mandate of Palestine, on 23 October 1922.
The reported population was 757,182, including the military and persons of foreign nationality. The divis ...
recorded a population of 86 people.[ :File:Atlit historical village, Atlit Colony and Atlit Salt Works 1922 population.jpg]
A major excavation sponsored by Mandate Authorities was undertaken by C. N. Johns between 1930 and 1934.
The castle was part of the area
Area is the measure of a region's size on a surface. The area of a plane region or ''plane area'' refers to the area of a shape or planar lamina, while '' surface area'' refers to the area of an open surface or the boundary of a three-di ...
used by the Mandate Authorities to house illegal refugees during the later Mandate period.
State of Israel
The castle is now part of Atlit naval base, an Israeli Navy
The Israeli Navy (, ''Ḥeil HaYam HaYisraeli'', ; ) is the Israel Defense Forces#Arms, naval warfare service arm of the Israel Defense Forces, operating primarily in the Mediterranean Sea theater as well as the Gulf of Eilat and the Red Sea th ...
base which is the headquarters of the Israeli Navy's Shayetet 13
Shayetet 13 () is a naval commando unit of the Israeli Navy and one of the primary sayeret, reconnaissance units of the Israel Defense Forces. Shayetet 13 specializes in sea-to-land incursions, counter-terrorism, sabotage, maritime intelligence ...
naval commando unit. As a result, the castle is within a closed military zone and training area for naval commandos.
Gallery
File:Atlit or Château Pèlerin in the Carte de la Phoenicie et des environs de Damas - dressée en 1752 par le Sr. d'Anville... ; de La Haye fils (sculp.) - btv1b8592888h (cropped).jpg, 1752 map
File:Atlit or Château Pèlerin in the Description de l'Egypte - Atlas -Flle 46 (cropped).jpg, 1800 map
File:Atlit or Château Pèlerin in the Survey of Western Palestine 1880.05 (cropped).jpg, 1880 map
File:Atlit fortress and Flamingo.JPG, Atlit in the 21st century
See also
* List of Crusader castles
References
;Bibliography
*
Further reading
* C. N. Johns, Pilgrim's Castle (Atlit), David's Tower (Jerusalem) and Qal at Ar-Rabad (Ajlun): Three Middle Eastern Castles from the Time of the Crusades, Denys Pringle (Editor), Variorum Collected Studies Series, 1997
* Denys Pringle, ''Atlit'', in Secular buildings in the Crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem: an archaeological Gazetteer, Cambridge University Press, (1997), pp. 22–24
* Jonathan Riley-Smith
Jonathan Simon Christopher Riley-Smith (27 June 1938 – 13 September 2016) was a historian of the Crusades, and, between 1994 and 2005, Dixie Professor of Ecclesiastical History at Cambridge. He was a Fellow of Emmanuel College, Cambridge.
Ea ...
. ''The Crusades: A Short History''. Athlone.1987.
* David Nicolle
David C. Nicolle (born 4 April 1944) is a British historian specialising in the military history of the Middle Ages, with a particular interest in the Middle East. Life
David Nicolle worked for BBC Arabic before getting his MA at SOAS, Univers ...
. ''Crusader Castles in the Holy Land 1192- 1302''. Osprey Publishing. 2005.
* Hugh Kennedy. ''Crusader Castles''. Cambridge University Press. 2001.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Chateau Pelerin
Castles in Israel
Land of Israel
Castles and fortifications of the Kingdom of Jerusalem
Castles and fortifications of the Knights Templar
1218 establishments in Asia
Arab villages depopulated during the 1948 Arab–Israeli War