Religious bloodshed was indeed a theme of the later stages of the tour, from visits to Crusader castles to the aftermath of a rankling three-way enmity between Christians, Sunnis and Druze.
Illuminated only by stars and flickering flames, it looked as impenetrable as the crusader forts we had visited all over Jordan, with similar slit windows and a heavy wooden door, decorated with dozens of ornate knockers.
I have traveled widely throughout the Middle East and have visited every Crusader and Arab castle of significance, including the Templars' last redoubt at Sidon in Lebanon, their fortified city of Tortosa and their castle at Safita.
The three ghosts who visit the Caped Crusader are Robin, Catwoman and Superman, and they all look amazing.
The Sheikh Down, Mother Jones, September 2009 Living temporarily in Damascus, Bauer took time off in November 2008 to visit the magnificent Crusader castle of Krak des Chevaliers in western Syria – with remarkable conclusions about the American occupation of Iraq, and an ending which – given his present predicament – ends on a note of fearful irony.
"Now we direct an urgent call to our militant brothers," Mr. Gadahn, 29, said in Arabic, urging them "to be ready to receive the Crusader slayer Bush in his visit to Muslim Palestine and the Arab peninsula in the beginning of January and to receive him not with flowers or clapping but with bombs and booby-trapped vehicles".
Visit the Senior Crusader.
It's not surprising that the admirably loyal supporters who produced another five-figure gate for last Friday's visit of Celtic Crusaders are running short of patience, even if the coach Richard Agar is an undeserving recipient of their wrath.
They also visited the Crusader-era church in Jerusalem marking the traditional spot of Jesus's crucifixion, burial and resurrection.
Papal legates regularly visited the East, and bishops from the Crusader states attended the third Lateran Council in 1179.
