This large tower caps the northeast angle of the Citadel. It is almost square in plan (more like a trapezium) with its north face measuring a little less than 21 meters in length.
The attached photo was taken from northwest in 1914 of Tower 8 with the Banias-Aqrabani Canal on the left. The different masonry on top is easily identifiable and indicates later restoration to the original Ayyubid structure. As with the rest of the extant Citadel, this tower was constructed in the early 18th century under Al-Adil. with parts of the topmost fortifications restored by Qansuh al-Ghawri, the last Mameluke sultan to claim sovereignty over Syria. This is confirmed by an inscription dated 915 AH (1509 CE).
According to Jean Sauvaget, Tower 8 was the Citadel's keep or donjon. This view was contradicted by D. J. Cathcart King, who argued that this large tower was not sufficiently dominant or impregnable to fulfill the essential function of a keep, normally the last refuge of the castle's master and its garrison after the rest of the fortress had fallen.
As far as size is concerned, Tower 8 is not larger than Tower 5 (southeast corner) or Tower 12 (northwest corner, in ruins) to mention but two examples. From a defensive standpoint, its rear was vulnerable to an an attack in reverse. Last, but not least, Sauvaget himself opined that the residence of the Ayyubid sultans was located in the southwest quarters of the fortress, though recent research casts doubt on this claim.
Externally, this tower meets the abutment of the north wall of the city, continuing east. Its protection is enhanced by a ditch filled with water from a derivation of River Barada named the Aqrabani, a continuation of the Banias Canal.
The attached photo was taken from northwest in 1914 of Tower 8 with the Banias-Aqrabani Canal on the left. The different masonry on top is easily identifiable and indicates later restoration to the original Ayyubid structure. As with the rest of the extant Citadel, this tower was constructed in the early 18th century under Al-Adil. with parts of the topmost fortifications restored by Qansuh al-Ghawri, the last Mameluke sultan to claim sovereignty over Syria. This is confirmed by an inscription dated 915 AH (1509 CE).
According to Jean Sauvaget, Tower 8 was the Citadel's keep or donjon. This view was contradicted by D. J. Cathcart King, who argued that this large tower was not sufficiently dominant or impregnable to fulfill the essential function of a keep, normally the last refuge of the castle's master and its garrison after the rest of the fortress had fallen.
As far as size is concerned, Tower 8 is not larger than Tower 5 (southeast corner) or Tower 12 (northwest corner, in ruins) to mention but two examples. From a defensive standpoint, its rear was vulnerable to an an attack in reverse. Last, but not least, Sauvaget himself opined that the residence of the Ayyubid sultans was located in the southwest quarters of the fortress, though recent research casts doubt on this claim.
Externally, this tower meets the abutment of the north wall of the city, continuing east. Its protection is enhanced by a ditch filled with water from a derivation of River Barada named the Aqrabani, a continuation of the Banias Canal.
The Defences of the Citadel of Damascus; a Great Mohammedan Fortress of the Time of the Crusades
D. J. Cathcart King
Archaeologica, Volume XCIV, 1951
BULLETIN D'ETUDES ORIENTALES, Supplément du Tome LIII-LIV, Citadelle de Damas. Etudes et travaux à la Citadelle de Damas : Un premier bilan, sous la direction de S. Berthier et E. El-Ajji. Damas, 2003,
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ReplyDeleteالبرج الثامن في قلعة دمشق عام ١٩١٤. يقع البرج في الزاوية الشماليّة الشرقيّة للحصن والصورة مأخوذة من الغرب والشمال وتظهر فيها قناة بانياس-العقرباني على شمال الناظر. هذا البرج مربّع الأضلاع تقريباً ويبلغ طول ضلعه الشمالي حوالي ٢١ متراً. اعتقد الفرنسي جان سوفاجيه أنّ هذا البرج كان بمثابة حرز (دون جون) للقلعة ولكن كينج خالفه في هذا كون البرج على ضخامته لا يهيمن على القلعة وليس أكثر مناعة من عدد من بقيّة الأبراج ومن المعروف أنّ الحرز عادة يشكّل آخر وأقوى دفاعات القلعة وإليه يلجأ صاحب المكان مع أكثر جنوده إخلاصاً وأشدّهم عزيمة وبأساً كملاذ أخير بعد سقوط القلعة. نرى في الخريطة أدناه سور المدينة الشمالي الذي يبدأ من نهاية البرج الشرقيّة استمراراً لسور القلعة. بني هذا البرج في عهد الملك العادل الأيّوبي وجدّدت بعض أقسامه العلويّة في عهد قانصوه الغوري آخر سلاطين المماليك كما يدلّ على ذلك نقش كتابي من عام ٩١٥ للهجرة الموافق ١٥٠٩ للميلاد