Awesome mystery Templar treasure site

[Crow]

Gidday Amigos

High up in hills lost and forgotten and totally abandoned is an immense ruined castle of many names. One must wonder what treasures and secrets these ancient walls keep?



If there is a Templar castle left to rot this one would be up high on the list. But the following castle was never built by the Templars but occupied by them and later rebuilt by them by modifying the original structure.



The castle of Pagrae was erected c. 965 by the Byzantine emperor Nikehoros II Phokas below.



Who stationed there 1000 footmen and 500 horsemen under the command of Michael Bourtzes to raid the countryside of the nearby city of Antioch. The castle provided a base for a force to cover the . Armanian Gate. It was built in two levels around a knoll, the fortification resembling Armanian work, and with water supplied by aquaducts.

It was then rebuilt about 1153 by the Knights Templars under the name Gaston (also Gastun, Guascon, Gastim) and held by them or by the Principality of Antioch until it was forced to capitulate to Saladin on 26 August 1189. Below



It was retaken in 1191 by the Armenians (under Leo II ) and their possession of it became a major point of contention between them and the Antiochenes and Templars. Here is Leo Below




After much negotiation, it was finally returned to the Templars in 1216. According to the Armenian chronicles, it withstood a siege by the forces of Aleppo at about this time. After the fall of Antioch to Baibars below in 1268.



The garrison lost heart, and one of the Templar brothers deserted and presented the keys of the castle to him. The remaining defenders decided to destroy what they could and surrender the castle which was destroyed. It was known at the time in that that part of holy land or Levant that the Templar castle held large sums of money collected from Pilgrims in which the fate of has never fully resolved. Was it looted at the time? Or still hiding in a secret chamber far under the castle walls?

Today the crumbling ruin lay silent hiding a 1000 year plus history..Inside you can see eerie empty rubble filled rooms...... What secrets lay buried under the ancient stone floors buried with rubble and the dusts of time?



Strange enough there has never been any attempt excavate the ruin?

Even today this ruined Templar Fortress is rarely visited.



Crow

 

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[ARC]

Again... in waiting for more posts limbo :P

 

[Crow]

Again... in waiting for more posts limbo :P

Geez AARC

Crack the whip.....

The first detailed historical and archaeological evaluation, including a surveyed plan of the entire complex, was completed in 1979 by R. W. Edwards. The fortification has more than thirty chambers which encompass the steep outcrop on three primary levels. little else if anything. there is zero interest by authorities.

I can show pictures taken in 1979. Main Templar hall bellow.



Here is the underground stables where a tough in floor for flowing water for horses below.



Many entrance doorways were blocked with rubble below

Main hall with rubble on the floor below.


A cool winding stair case down to lower levels.



These pictures show the condition of the chambers some leading down three levels.I have other pictures but please be patient it late and old crow needs to roost.

Crow

 

[ARC]

Hey man I am thirsty... and not just for rum.

 

[Crow]

Gidday amigo

Once you have drank the sweet nectar of fortune and glory nothing ever quite tastes the same.



Some chambers was cisterns for water. Others for grain or even perhaps treasure?



Some areas are quite unstable.


As you can see below some chambers are fill with debris.


Some chambers was completely cut off...

One of the many mysteries of the forgotten Templar Fort Amigos.

Crow

 

[ARC]

So what I gather here is... this location still to this day... sits un-touched by means of excavations ?

 

[BillA]

the treasure hunting calculus would be negative, but fun for a while
those are orchards planted on the slope
and even a deal with whoever would not be honored

 

[ARC]

the treasure hunting calculus would be negative

Which... when one ponders your opinion / statement... is EXACTLY what the Templars were masters of.

Deception in plain sight.

AND... why no Templar treasure has been positively found.

OR... next to NO Templar artifacts of any kind other than the handful of mostly speculatory items in existence.

SO... to me this would be... IMO... BE an IDEAL place to explore.

 

[Crow]

So what I gather here is... this location still to this day... sits un-touched by means of excavations ?

As of today, many excavation projects in this region have been conducted by national and international teams of archaeologists. Currently, 16 17 sites including archaeological properties in this region are included in the world heritage list. 60 71 sites are nominated in the Tentative List of World Heritage sites by the World Heritage Centre of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

Thousands of other sites untouched...

This fortress is just one of them.

Crow

 

[BillA]

oh man, come on ARC
a 1000 year plan?

similar have had some super recent finds

 

[ARC]

Nothing Templar will ever be found in an obvious location.

This will in itself be ironically obvious ONLY AFTER it has been found... which in turn is only obvious WHEN they are being sought and found in the obviously un-obvious locations.

Savvy ? ? ?

only the obvious appears obvious after the fact.

:P

 

[Crow]

Gidday amigos Templar treasure is coins is found more often than people realize in very small hoards. Some times coins are found in very bad condition. Coins in endless circulation wears out. Like the ones below worth about 25 bucks.




Just like modern currency today older coins are remelted down as they pass through circulation and re stamped into different coins. However it comes down to their metal content. What is rare ones in good condition but even so there are plenty of Templar coins on the market.

Crow

 

[ARC]

Gidday amigos Templar treasure is coins is found more often than people realize in very small hoards. Some times coins are found in very bad condition. Coins in endless circulation wears out. Like the ones below worth about 25 bucks.


View attachment 1889355

Just like modern currency today older coins are remelted down as they pass through circulation and re stamped into different coins. However it comes down to their metal content. What is rare ones in good condition but even so there are plenty of Templar coins on the market.

Crow

And the ole saying applies to these which still applies today...

"chump change". heh

 

[Crow]

Gidday amigos

The whole purpose of Templars existence was assist pilgrims in holy land. The Templars acted in essence as a policing force. Like an armed christian militia. The offered protection and early banking system that generated from Pilgrims.

Pilgrims was generally devote christian tourists. On a mystical journey to the holy land to walk in the footsteps of Christ.

A whole industry developed all over Europe of monks and nuns housing sacred relics in monasteries that became places of pilgrimage. Many monasteries became rich from all the pilgrims housing and feeding them. In turn there was competition who had best relic to attract the most pilgrims. But nothing in Europe could beat the attractions in holy land where Jesus walked.

Due to crusades being a hod podge of competing feudal states that sometimes never cooperated with each over. The roads in the Levant was never really safe. So sprung forth the Templars.

The Templars built various castles and safe houses throughout the Levant. And of course providing a type banking services. While Tempars themselves had vow of poverty in regards to personal wealth they was looked after by the order. There was host of workers associated with Templars and tenant farmers all requiring payment for their services.

The central collection point of all this revenue collected by all these remote fortresses went first to the Templars in Jerusalem.

When Jerusalem fell the Templar moved their base of operations to Acre. However after the fall of Jerusalem pilgrims lost interest in Levant and thus revenues of Templars began to fall. So many of these Templar castle became redundant uneconomic and no reason to be there. Europe after several crusades had just lost interest in the Levant and costly Crusades. And the Levant feudal states was left in terminal decline and to fend for themselves.

However these Templar fortress always needed money to operate and conduct business with pilgrims as they progressively fell so many of these site could still have small hidden caches from the last days of operation.

But forget some complex conspiracy theory type burial more of in haste burial before getting hacked to death.

Thus is what makes these sites more interesting for me.

Crow

 

[T.C.]

Outstanding history lesson! Thank you!

 

[ARC]

Outstanding history lesson! Thank you!

Yeah... threads like this can begin to "grow" on ya.

 

[Crow]

Gidday Amigos

Maybe the site will grow on ya a little more?

As you can see below in some respects it almost blends into the landscape.



But at other angles the site can be imposing and daunting to those can imagine what it must of been like to storm such castles in the 12th century.



One perhaps imagine desperate hand to hand fighting at the outer defenses.



I cannot imagine the fear and with a massive adrenaline rush when hacking and slashing to keep Saldins Army out.



And see the thickness of the walls amigo these people did not mess about.



These fortress was just not castles but statements of power.....

Not just refuges for pilgrims and Crusaders.

Crow

 

[Crow]

Gidday amigo

History and year dulls these tragic events but even for brief moment you could put you shoes in a Templar Knight shoes. You are defending this castle all the territory had been captured by the invading army. There is no relief coming, no miracle rescue..

And a army of thousands surrounding you garrison wanting to get in and hack you to death.



I could imagine the fear.



The desperation fighting room from room.



The fear as the walls became penetrated by the enemy.



If these walls could talk what stories could they tell?



Of bloodshed murder misery and death?

And imagine yourself that Templar vowed to never surrender and fight to the death in final moments of the inevitable as the enemy pour in like ants all hell bent on hacking you to death. Then that final moment amigo where pain cannot be felt no more and endorphins give one last euphoria at the point of blackness,,,,

Thus amigo if you can imagine that you can truly understand what the final moments of these sieges was like for those who fought and died here all those centuries ago.

Perhaps that insight gives a better under standing of the ferocity of the time.

Crow

 

[BillA]

Gidday amigo

...........

Perhaps that insight gives a better under standing of the ferocity of the time.

Crow

perhaps, but an existential threat is kinda similar
and for sure I've more respect for a sword wielder than someone sitting at a console
remote killing decreases our humanity
we are the scavenger rats looking for what's left
(nature's cleanup crew)

 

[PetesPockets55]

Yeah... threads like this can begin to "grow" on ya.

Did you mean they can "Crow" on you?

Love the history behind the story or vice versa and the ferocity of the battle/campaign is a little better understood after Crows descriptions.
We've all probably stepped on an ant hill and seen the results where there seems to be no end to the swarm.