On this hill, the knights of the Teutonic order built a fortress called De Strua. The fortress became one of the first large Crusader structures in the Holy Land. She defended a narrow isthmus along the coastal road linking Tire Sidon, Acre in the north with Caesarea, Arsif and Jaffa in the south. The impetus for intensive construction was the attack in 1103 by robbers on the train of King Baldwin the First. Translated with Google Translate
Atlit is a small town south of Haifa. In the shadow of the capital of North, Atlit is an unremarkable province. However, acquaintance with this place will amaze us with the diversity and depth of the events that took place here. Let's start, oddly enough, with the cemetery. Knights and pilgrims are buried there. This is the only cemetery in the Middle East from the Crusades' time in such good condition. Then our path will run to the refugee camp, which has become an immigration museum. Here we are, witnesses, for the incredible fate of people, secret paths of illegal immigration, and a really recreated atmosphere of those years: the presence of barbed wire, guard towers, disinfection, and wooden barracks tarred by the scorching sun. Then, after a short picnic, we will climb to the ruins of the Crusader fortress De Strua. These are the only sites associated with the history of the Crusades that can be visited in Atlit today. And finally, we will go to the secret azure lagoon, where you can swim and find the shells of the famous mollusk, which gave itself the most expensive and prestigious paint of the ancient world - purple.
