Military History Photo Friday: Historic Forts in Saudi Arabia

When we think of Saudi Arabia, we generally don't think of castles, but a fair number dot the arid landscape of the desert kingdom. One of the most impressive is Marid Castle, pictured above. Located in the ancient city of Dumat al-Jandal in the north of the country. The city dates all the way back to at least the tenth century BC. It's unclear how old the fort is, but it existed by 272 AD. It was the site of numerous battles, most recently in 1853 and 1909. During the second attack it withstood a siege of ten months before finally falling.

Perhaps the most impressive fortification was Ajyad Fortress, an Ottoman citadel built in 1780 overlooking Mecca in order to protect the holy city from raiders. Despite the Bedouin being Muslims themselves, they weren't averse to robbing Muslim pilgrims. In a controversial move, the Saudi government demolished the historic fort in 2002 in order to build luxury a hotel for rich pilgrims. This has been part of an ongoing campaign to demolish historic sites, especially ones from the pre-Islamic period or sites that remind the Saudis of the time when they were part of the Ottoman Empire.

Many small forts were built at oases along the pilgrimage route to protect the pilgrims from bandits.  Some date to the reign of the Ottoman Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent (ruled 1520-1566), who had forts built to protect the main routes. This one at Dhat al-Hajj still stands, although in poorer condition than this photo from 1907 shows. It's a simple structure, but that would be all that would be needed to ward off the Bedouin, who lacked artillery.

A similar fort stands at Al-Ukhaydir, and was also built by Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent. This photo from 1907 shows the fort at the center and some Bedouin tents to the left.


Photos courtesy Wikimedia Commons, because that's probably the closest I'll ever get to Saudi Arabia.

Military History Photo Friday: El Castillo de San José in Lanzarote, Canary Islands

As I mentioned on Monday, I was on vacation in Lanzarote all last week. Even though I wasn't writing, I was keeping my eye out for interesting blog post material. This week on Black Gate I blogged about the island's Piracy Museum, and next week will see another Lanzarote post as well.

And here's something for this blog, a fort called El Castillo de San José, which guarded the approach to the port of Arrecife. It was built between 1776 and 1779. The whole island is dotted with forts to protect the various harbors from pirates and rival powers such as the British.

A combination double-header outhouse and gun turret. The soldiers were apparently not shy, or just lonely.

This particular fort was actually built in a time of relative peace as a make-work project for the islanders, who were going through tough economic times thanks to a drought and a volcanic eruption that ruined the crops. Thus it earned the name Fortaleza del Hambre (Hunger Fortress).

It now houses a contemporary art museum and a cool restaurant/bar that retains its 1970s decor.

The restaurant gives a fine view of the fishing port.

The original Seventies interior is intact.

Even the stairs to the bathroom are groovy!

The Battle of Bannockburn: A Victory for Scottish Independence

On the first day of battle, Scottish leader Robert the Bruce engaged in single combat with the English knight Henry de Bohun and knocked his brains out with an axe. This led to a surge in Scottish morale and a charge that broke the English lines. Robert the Bruce later complained that this blow broke his favorite axe.

In the light of current events, I thought I'd mention that it's the 702nd anniversary of the Battle of Bannockburn, when on 23-24 June 1314, a Scottish force destroyed an invading English army, securing Scottish independence.

The First War for Scottish Independence was already well underway. Stirling Castle in Scotland was held by the English but under siege by a Scottish force. The defenders had already agreed to surrender if they weren't relieved by mid-summer. The castle was vital to the war effort of both sides since it dominated the route into the Highlands.

King Edward II of England personally led an army of an estimated 2,000 heavy cavalry and 15,000 infantry, most of them longbowmen, to relieve the castle. Facing him was an army under the Scottish king Robert the Bruce numbering no more than 10,000, only about 500 of whom were mounted.

Stirling Castle

Repeated English cavalry charges failed to break the Scottish formations and after two days of bloody fighting, the English withdrew, having suffered heavy losses. They would suffer more. As they made their way south, they were harassed by a Scottish pursuing force and isolated English soldiers were set upon by local peasants. King Edward got away, but 700 men-at-arms were killed, another 500 captured for ransom, and up to 11,000 English infantry never made it home. The Scottish lost at most 4,000 men, although some historians put their casualties much lower. Stirling Castle surrendered and Scottish independence was secure for a time.

Scotland did, of course, end up in the United Kingdom eventually, but will it remain so? With every single Scottish county voting against leaving the European Union, some by huge margins, there is almost certainly going to be another vote in Scotland regarding the independence issue. Hopefully no one will get their heads caved in with an axe this time.

Images courtesy Wikimedia Commons.

The earliest depiction of the battle comes from the Scotichronicon (c.1440), a book of Scottish history written by Walter Bower

Travel Tuesday: El Castillo de Aulencia, Spain

My wife works about 15 miles outside of Madrid and this castle is right next to her research institute. Spring has finally sprung here in Spain and she took this amazing photo. It the winter this castle looks completely different, dark and brooding on its bare hill.

This is the Castillo de Aulencia, which guarded the confluence of the Aulencia and Guadarrama rivers. It started as an Arab castle until it was captured by the advancing Christian armies in the 14th century. They rebuilt the castle and most of what you see today dates to the 15th century. After the Reconquista pushed the Moors further and further south, this castle became less useful, especially after the Moors were kicked out of Spain entirely in 1492. Then it was allowed to slowly decay.

It took a few hits during the Spanish Civil War when the Battle of Brunete raged around it in 1937. It had a good view of the surrounding countryside so a unit of Russian volunteers on the Republican side held it for a time. The fascists pummeled the walls with artillery fire, forcing the Russians to withdraw.

Unfortunately this castle is not open to the public. This is the closest I've ever been!

Photo courtesy Almudena Alonso-Herrero.

Military History Photo Friday: Kasbah Tourit, Ouarzazate, Morocco

Hello from Morocco! As many of you know, I'm spending October in Tangier writing my next novel. It's set here, so my being here isn't just writerly indulgence. :-) Internet access will be a bit sporadic so I probably won't be blogging as regularly as usual. In fact, this post was written before I left!

This fine castle is the Kasbah Tourit, in Ouarzazate, southern Morocco. Kasbahs are fortified homes or walled private villages for the various tribal rulers of premodern Morocco, and this one is one of the best-preserved and most famous. It was one of the many forts of the Glaoui Berber tribe. They ruled over much of southern Morocco and the Atlas Mountains and in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries were one of the most powerful tribes in North Africa.

Under the rule of T'hami Glaoui (ruled 1912-1956), they were at the height of their power. He held the title of Pasha of Marrakesh, and his rule extended far beyond that important city. He was one of the richest men in the world and hobnobbed with the leading figures of his day, including Winston Churchill and Queen Elizabeth. On the other hand, he ruled like a feudal monarch. When he wasn't torturing people in his dungeons or putting the severed heads of rebels and thieves on the city walls, he was building golf courses in the desert or relaxing with his large harem of concubines.

He also played politics, steering the course of Morocco's future as it went from being a colony to an independent state and securing lasting rights for the Berber peoples in the face of Arab domination of the government. He also left behind numerous fine buildings such as this one.

Below is a back view. Both photos are from Wikimedia Commons. I visited this Kasbah many years ago, but didn't have the time this week to dig out my old shots, made back when I still had a film camera. Remember when we had to pay for every picture?

Hope to blog again soon!

Military History Photo Friday: A Castle in Northern Spain

We've been having an unseasonably warm and sunny week here in Cantabria, so last weekend the family and I went to San Vicente de la Barquera, west along the coast from where we live in Santander. It's been an important fishing port since medieval times and has this fine little castle guarding the harbor.

It was built in the 13th and 14th centuries and is the best preserved medieval castle in Cantabria. Unfortunately we couldn't get inside because it was just closing as we got there.

Below you can see the church of Nuestra Señora de los Ángeles and part of the old city wall. The church was closed too!

Military History Photo Friday: The Halle Gate, Brussels, Belgium

Belgium has some 300 castles, and while the focus of last week's trip was on the Western Front of World War One, I did get to see the sole-surviving example of the medieval fortification that once protected Brussels.

The Halle Gate was built between 1357 and 1373 as one of seven gates in the city wall. It eventually became a prison and was thus left standing when the rest of the wall and gates were torn down. Today it hosts the Royal Museum of Art and History