Explore the real-world places that appear in The Crusades by Thomas Asbridge. Each location on the map shows what happens there in the novel, the real history of the place, and what's there today. Featured locations include Clermont (Council of Clermont), Constantinople, Nicaea, Antioch, Edessa and 10 more.
Clermont-Ferrand, France — Pope Urban II calls the First Crusade
In November 1095 Pope Urban II addressed a great gathering of clergy and laity at Clermont and summoned Latin Christendom to march to the aid of the Eastern Christians and to liberate Jerusalem. Asbridge shows how the crowd's cry of 'Deus vult' ('God wills it') launched the crusading movement. Urban offered spiritual rewards that became the foundation of crusade indulgences.
The Council of Clermont was held in November 1095 as part of Urban II's church reform program. The pope's exact words were not recorded precisely, and several differing accounts survive. The call followed an appeal from Byzantine emperor Alexios I Komnenos for military help.
Clermont-Ferrand is a lively university city in the Auvergne, dominated by its black volcanic-stone cathedral. The council's exact meeting place is not definitively marked, but the city acknowledges its place in crusading history.
Visit: Clermont-Ferrand Cathedral (landmark)
Istanbul, Turkey — Byzantine capital and crusader gateway
Constantinople was the first great city the crusading armies encountered on their way east. Emperor Alexios I Komnenos dealt warily with leaders like Bohemond of Taranto and Raymond of Toulouse, demanding oaths of loyalty. In 1204 the Fourth Crusade was diverted here, and the city was brutally sacked by Latin forces, deepening the schism between Eastern and Western Christians.
Founded as the capital of the Roman Empire by Constantine in 330 AD, Constantinople was among the largest and wealthiest cities in the medieval world. It was sacked by the Fourth Crusade in April 1204 and held by Latins until 1261. It fell to the Ottomans in 1453.
As Istanbul, the city is home to the Hagia Sophia, the Hippodrome and the Theodosian Walls. Visitors can explore Byzantine monuments throughout the old city.
Visit: Hagia Sophia (landmark)
İznik, Turkey — First major crusader victory
The crusaders besieged Nicaea, capital of the Seljuk Sultanate of Rum under Kilij Arslan, in May-June 1097. The Seljuk sultan was beaten back in a pitched battle, and the city secretly surrendered to Alexios's representatives, angering many crusaders who had hoped to plunder it. The siege was the army's first test and showed their reliance on Byzantine support.
Nicaea was the site of the First Council of Nicaea in 325 AD. It was captured by the Seljuks in 1081 and returned to Byzantium in 1097. Its massive walls remain prominent.
Modern İznik is a small town known for its Iznik tiles and pottery, with large sections of the Roman and Byzantine walls still standing.
Visit: İznik City Walls (monument)
Antakya, Turkey — The grueling siege of 1097-98
The crusaders besieged Antioch for eight months, suffering starvation and desertion. Bohemond of Taranto bribed an Armenian guard named Firouz to open a tower, and the crusaders stormed in, only to be besieged themselves by Kerbogha, atabeg of Mosul. After Peter Bartholomew's discovery of the 'Holy Lance', the crusaders sallied out and defeated Kerbogha. Bohemond kept the city, founding the Principality of Antioch.
Antioch was one of the great cities of the ancient world and an early center of Christianity. Its walls climbed Mount Silpius and made it nearly impregnable. The principality survived until Mamluk sultan Baybars captured it in 1268.
Antakya, in southern Turkey, was devastated by the 2023 earthquakes. The Hatay Archaeology Museum, famed for its Roman mosaics, and the ancient cave church of St. Peter are among its notable sites.
Visit: Hatay Archaeology Museum (museum)
Şanlıurfa, Turkey — First Crusader State, fall sparks Second Crusade
Baldwin of Boulogne seized Edessa in 1098 and became its first count, founding the first crusader state. Its recapture by Zengi, the atabeg of Mosul and Aleppo, in December 1144 shocked Latin Christendom. The news prompted Pope Eugenius III to preach the Second Crusade, with Bernard of Clairvaux as its champion.
Edessa was a largely Armenian and Syriac Christian city that Baldwin gained through political maneuvering. Zengi's conquest in 1144 was a major turning point in the crusader-Muslim struggle. Nur al-Din later extended Zengi's gains.
Şanlıurfa is a major pilgrimage city in southeastern Turkey, known for the Pool of Abraham and its citadel. The city's Edessa-era citadel overlooks the old town.
Visit: Şanlıurfa Castle (historic site)
Old City, Jerusalem — Goal of the First Crusade
Jerusalem fell to the crusaders on 15 July 1099 after a five-week siege and was followed by a horrific massacre of its Muslim and Jewish inhabitants. Godfrey of Bouillon became its ruler, taking the title Advocate of the Holy Sepulchre. The Church of the Holy Sepulchre, believed to house Christ's tomb, was the spiritual heart of the crusading venture.
The church was built by Constantine in the 4th century on the site believed to be Golgotha and the tomb of Jesus. It was destroyed in 1009 by Fatimid caliph al-Hakim and rebuilt, then rebuilt again by the crusaders in the 12th century. Much of the present structure dates from the crusader era.
The church remains one of Christianity's holiest sites, shared by several denominations. It draws pilgrims and visitors from around the world.
Visit: Church of the Holy Sepulchre (landmark)
Haram al-Sharif, Jerusalem — Sacred to Muslims, Templar HQ
After conquering Jerusalem, the crusaders converted the Dome of the Rock into the Templum Domini and the Al-Aqsa Mosque into a royal palace and later headquarters of the Knights Templar. When Saladin retook Jerusalem in October 1187, he restored Islamic worship and had the sacred precinct cleansed. The site embodied the competing religious claims at the heart of the conflict.
The Dome of the Rock was completed in 691-692 under the Umayyad caliph Abd al-Malik. The Temple Mount is sacred to Jews, Muslims and Christians. The Templars took their name from Solomon's Temple, believed to be on the site.
The Haram al-Sharif is administered by the Islamic Waqf, and non-Muslim visitor access is limited to certain hours and areas. The golden dome is among the world's most recognizable landmarks.
Visit: Haram al-Sharif (Temple Mount) (landmark)
Near Tiberias, Israel — Saladin's crushing victory, 1187
On 4 July 1187, Saladin destroyed the army of the Kingdom of Jerusalem under King Guy of Lusignan. The Latin troops, parched and exhausted after marching across waterless terrain, were surrounded and routed, and the True Cross was captured. Saladin executed Raynald of Châtillon personally and ordered the Templars and Hospitallers killed. The victory opened the way to the reconquest of Jerusalem.
Hattin is an extinct volcano with twin peaks overlooking the Sea of Galilee. The battle crippled the crusader states' military capacity. Jerusalem surrendered to Saladin on 2 October 1187.
The site lies in northern Israel near Tiberias, with hiking access to the hill and views of the surrounding plain. It is a place of historical interest rather than a developed attraction.
Visit: Horns of Hattin Nature Reserve (park)
Akko, Israel — Siege of 1189-91 and last crusader stronghold
Richard the Lionheart and Philip Augustus arrived at Acre in 1191 during the Third Crusade to join the long siege begun by Guy of Lusignan. After the city surrendered in July, Richard ordered the execution of about 2,700 Muslim prisoners when Saladin was slow to meet ransom terms. Acre later became the capital of the Kingdom of Jerusalem and fell to the Mamluk sultan al-Ashraf Khalil in 1291, ending the crusader presence on the mainland.
Acre was a major Mediterranean port and the center of crusader trade in the Levant. The Knights Hospitaller built an enormous complex there. The Mamluk conquest of 1291 ended Latin rule in the Holy Land.
The Old City of Acre is a UNESCO World Heritage Site where the Hospitaller compound and underground Templar tunnel can be visited. The old port and walls remain a major tourist attraction.
Visit: Knights Halls (Hospitaller Compound) (historic site)
Apollonia National Park, Israel — Richard defeats Saladin, 1191
On 7 September 1191, Richard the Lionheart's army, marching south along the coast from Acre to Jaffa, was harassed by Saladin's horse archers. Richard maintained discipline until the Hospitallers broke ranks and charged, which he then exploited to launch a general counterattack. The victory showed Richard's tactical skill and restored crusader morale, though it did not retake Jerusalem.
Arsuf was a coastal fortress. It was captured by the crusaders in 1101 and held by the Knights Hospitaller from 1261 until Mamluk conquest. Its ruined castle sits on a sea cliff.
The site is within Apollonia National Park, north of Herzliya, with ruins of the crusader fortress and sweeping sea views. The park is open to visitors.
Visit: Apollonia National Park (park)
Old City, Damascus, Syria — Seat of Nur al-Din and Saladin
Damascus was the power base from which Nur al-Din unified Muslim Syria and promoted jihad against the Franks. The crusaders' failed siege of Damascus in 1148 doomed the Second Crusade. Saladin later made Damascus a key center of his realm and was buried there in 1193 in a mausoleum next to the Umayyad Mosque.
The Umayyad Mosque was built in the early 8th century on the site of a Roman temple and Christian church. Damascus is among the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. Saladin's tomb was built beside the mosque.
The Umayyad Mosque remains a major religious and historical landmark of the Old City. Saladin's mausoleum is a popular site, although travel in Syria has been heavily affected by conflict.
Visit: Umayyad Mosque (landmark)
Cairo, Egypt — Center of Fatimid, Ayyubid and Mamluk power
Cairo was the seat of the Fatimid caliphate, whose vizier Shawar's maneuvers drew Amalric of Jerusalem and Nur al-Din's general Shirkuh into Egypt. Saladin rose here as vizier, abolished the Fatimid caliphate in 1171, and founded the Ayyubid dynasty. Later Mamluk rulers such as Baybars used Cairo as the base for campaigns that eliminated the crusader states.
The Cairo Citadel was begun by Saladin in 1176 to defend against crusader attacks. It served as the seat of government for about 700 years. Saladin also strengthened the city's walls.
The Citadel of Saladin houses the Muhammad Ali Mosque and several museums. It is one of Cairo's top attractions with views over the city.
Visit: Citadel of Saladin (historic site)
Nile Delta, Egypt — Target of the Fifth and Seventh Crusades
Crusaders captured Damietta in 1219 during the Fifth Crusade, but the campaign collapsed when the army, advancing on Cairo, was trapped by the Nile flood. Louis IX of France seized it again in 1249 during the Seventh Crusade, but then was defeated and captured at Mansurah in 1250. The Egyptian-focused strategy reflected the belief that Egypt was the key to Jerusalem.
Damietta was a strategic port at the Nile's mouth and was later rebuilt farther inland after the Mamluks razed the old city in 1250. It remains known for furniture and dairy production.
Damietta is a port city and governorate capital in Egypt. Few medieval remains survive, though the Great Mosque of Amr ibn al-As is a notable historic site.
Homs region, Syria — Great Hospitaller fortress
Krak des Chevaliers was the most formidable of the Knights Hospitaller's castles, guarding the route between Antioch and Tripoli. Asbridge uses it to illustrate how military orders defended the crusader states. It fell to Baybars in 1271 after a siege, when the garrison surrendered following a forged letter allegedly from the Hospitaller commander.
The Hospitallers acquired the fortress in 1142 and expanded it into a concentric castle with huge walls. It could house about 2,000 men. Baybars captured it in 1271.
The castle is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and among the best-preserved medieval castles in the world. It was damaged during the Syrian conflict and restoration work has since taken place.
Visit: Crac des Chevaliers (historic site)
Lebanon — City that resisted Saladin in 1187
After Hattin, Saladin swept through the Latin kingdom but was stopped at Tyre, which Conrad of Montferrat had arrived in time to defend. Conrad's stubborn defense ensured the crusaders kept a foothold that later served as the base for the Third Crusade. Conrad was later assassinated in Tyre in 1192 by Assassins, shortly after being elected king of Jerusalem.
Tyre was an ancient Phoenician port city and the crusaders held it from 1124 until 1291. Its harbor and double-walled defenses made it difficult to take.
Tyre is a UNESCO World Heritage Site with Roman ruins, a Hippodrome and the remains of a crusader cathedral. It is a significant tourist destination in southern Lebanon.
Visit: Tyre Archaeological Site (Al-Mina and Al-Bass) (historic site)
More by Thomas Asbridge: All Thomas Asbridge books
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