Muslim Fortresses in the Levant: Between Crusaders and Mongols (87 page)

It is difficult to explain the Mamluk decision to rebuild this fortress. The reconstruction of Safad had little to do with the larger concept of the Sultanate’s defense. According to Tracy, the larger the population the greater the chances that a city will be fortified.
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It seems the main reasons for the reconstruction were probably the social and economic status of the town, the need to establish Mamluk authority in the area and provide security for the town’s population and for villages in the vicinity. The hinterland of Safad and its agricultural prosperity are all vividly described by the anonymous French chronicler. The wealth and the revenue that could be collected from the local population were no doubt taken into account when it was decided to invest in rebuilding and garrisoning the site.

A short history of Safad under Crusader rule

One cannot ignore the 164 years during which the Franks slowly constructed the fortress at Safad, which in due course became one of the most formidable Frankish fortresses in the region. It was probably first built by the Crusaders in 1102–3.
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It later became the property of the crown, but the exact date is unknown. In 1168 King Amalric decided to hand it over to the order of the Templars.
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After the battle of
(1187), Safad was taken by
al-Dīn and remained under Ayyubid rule until 1240.
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Ibn Shaddād and Ibn al-Furāt give a list of its Ayyubid governors, while Ibn al-Furāt declares that no construction work was done during the Ayyubid period.
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Ibn al-Athīr lists Safad as one of the fortresses reinforced by the Ayyubids in 588/1192.
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No archaeological evidence of Ayyubid construction has been found to date. It is possible that none exists, as the fortress suffered two severe disasters within a short space of time. The first was a powerful earthquake that struck the region in 1202.
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The second was due to
, who in 1219 demolished the fortress at Safad, as he had done at Mount Tabor, since he feared the return of the Franks.
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Following the treaty signed between Richard of Cornwall and al-Malik
of Damascus the Templars returned to Safad.
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At this point the fortress was either completely in ruins or in very poor condition. Thus began the last and most significant Frankish building phase at Safad. Within two and a half years the Templars built the largest concentric fortress in the kingdom (
Figure 4.14
). Two formidable curtain walls were constructed. The inner wall reached the height of 44m and was 3.5m wide; the external wall measured half the height. The moat between the two walls was 15m deep and 13m wide. Seven large round towers were built along the external wall, each rising to the height of 48m and measuring 22m in diameter. The total circumference of the fortress walls was 850m.
¹⁰⁰

It is not surprising that after six weeks Baybars turned to trickery in order to bring an end to the siege.
¹⁰¹
According to Ibn-Shaddād and Baybars
, the defenders
decided to surrender, and asked for an
amān
; the sultan granted this but did not keep his word, and the Templar garrison was executed in cold blood to the last man.
¹⁰²

The Mamluk building force and the work on the bāshūra

An important part of Ibn
account of the repairs at Safad is devoted to the organization and division of the work among the Mamluk army. His description gives some details of the sultan’s participation in the reconstruction work together with his soldiers and amirs. This may be a way to glorify the sultan, although it seems that Baybars indeed differed from many of those that followed him in that he trained, fought and worked with his men. Ibn
begins with the clearing and widening of the moat, in which the entire army participated as well as the sultan and his entourage. The reconstruction of the towers was supervised by the amir Sayf al-Dīn al-Zaynī and the work was divided amongst the
and the
.
¹⁰³
Thus the main working force was the army itself, as no mention is made of slaves, captives or local villagers. Ibn Shaddād describes the sultan’s departure from Cairo on his way to start the restorations at Safad; in addition to the army, the amirs and his personal entourage a small group of skilled craftsmen joined the sultan.
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