The news that Karak castle in Jordan had been attacked by members of the so-called Islamic State is horrifying and shocking. Much worse that a Canadian tourist, Linda Vatcher, was killed in the skirmish along with members of the Jordanian…
Read MoreGosh – what can one say? The horror being faced by the people of Syria is stomach churning and to add to their misery, the very buildings that have given them both pleasure and a livelihood from tourists are being…
Read MoreI wish that headline was a bit of journalist hyperbole – but the pictures say otherwise. We’d all like to think that in the current civil war in Syria, its Roman and crusader sites – jewels that should be treasured…
Read MoreThe civil war in Syria now threatens one of the historic gems of the Middle East that loomed large during the crusades. Aleppo was stormed many times by the Byzantines and the crusaders as they tried to eject the Saracens….
Read MoreThe crusaders and Knights Templar suffered a horrific defeat at the Battle of Hattin and Tony McMahon examines the Saracen point of view of their victory
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