Commemorative Stone at Ashkelon, 1150

The Fatimids who had conquered Ashkelon built 53 defensive towers to protect the city against the Crusader armies. The commemorative stone of one of these towers was found in the moat next to the tower’s wall. The stone is inscribed in Arabic and five Crusader shields are carved on it. The shields belong to the family of Sir Hugh Wake, who conquered the city in the beginning of the 12th century and rebuilt it. A heavy lintel of a doorway with the Wake family shield was also found in Ashkelon.

Ashkelon was conquered by Saladin in 1187 and later destroyed by him to prevent its capture by Richard the Lionheart.