Burǧ ʽArab – A Crusader Tower in the County of Tripoli: A Preliminary Report After the First Survey

The northern part of the former County of Tripoli, which corresponds today to the southern littoral area of the Syrian Arab Republic, is exceptionally rich in Crusader monuments. The majority of the Crusader remains are lesser-scale structures which testify to the relatively dense rural settlement pattern of Crusader times in this fertile part of the Levant. The most significant feature of this type of Crusader monument is the presence of a small tower or donjon. One of the best-preserved and most sophisticated towers is the one standing in the village of Burǧ al-ʿArab. This study summarizes the results of the first survey of this tower conducted as part of a larger fieldwork during the summer of 2000.