Dan Jones tells the story of a crack unit of holy hard-men who spent 200 years defending crusaders’ interests in the Middle East with unblinking ferocity
On a cripplingly hot day at the start of July 1187, Saladin, the sultan of Egypt and Syria, stood beside his son al-Afdal and peered across the battlefield towards a red tent on a hill. The sultan’s face was pale with worry. The armies before him had been fighting for hours, tortured by near-unbearable heat, dust and smoke, which billowed up from the desert scrub Saladin’s own men had set alight. Thousands of men and horses lay dead. The enemy – a vast force led by the Christian king Guy of Jerusalem – was badly battered and falling back, but until the king’s red pavilion fell, victory would not be complete. Al-Afdal, youthful and bullish, cheered every Christian charge that the Muslim army repulsed. Saladin scolded him. “Be quiet!” he said. “We have not beaten them until that tent falls.” Moments later, the sultan’s angst turned to tearful jubilation. The tent collapsed, King Guy was captured and the battle of Hattin was over. The Christians’ holiest relic – a fragment of the True Cross – was seized. The dead were left to rot where they lay, while the living were led off in disgrace: the lowliest Christian prisoners for slaves, and the more valuable for ransom.
But there was one category of captives who received quite different treatment from all the rest. A reward of 50 dinars was offered to anyone who could present the sultan with a member of the military orders: Hospitallers and Templars. These knights and sergeants were the elite special forces within the armies of the cross. They were the most dedicated and highly trained warriors in the Holy Land. And Saladin had special plans for them.
BAND OF BROTHERS
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة February 2018 من BBC Knowledge.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك ? تسجيل الدخول
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة February 2018 من BBC Knowledge.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك? تسجيل الدخول
Are We Close To Making Our Home Away From Earth?
Our exploration of the cosmos is hampered by our bodies and minds, which struggle in space. So could we ever overcome our Biology and settle among the stars?
The Viruses That Made Us Human
Viruses give us infections, from the common cold to Ebola and Aids. But new research shows that they may also have played a key role in shaping the evolution of homo sapiens.
Can You Supercharge Your Brain?
Your brain is the finely-tuned machine that controls all your actions and emotions, so it makes sense to keep it well-oiled. But, asks Rita Carter, are there any scientifically proven methods to ensure it works better for longer?
The Yaksha's Quiz
One day, a man approached the Pandavas while they were in exile in the forest.
Are Dogs Making Us Healthy Too?
While we know our furry friends are brilliant companions, Dr John Bradshaw finds out if they could actually be making us healthier too.
Welcome to the Jungle
As our cities grow, animals are having to carve out a niche in this most human of habitats. Fredi Devas, producer of the urban episode of Planet Earth II, spent four years getting to know these metropolitan pioneers.
How Should History Remember Fidel Castro?
To many, he was a heroic champion of the disenfranchised; to others, a cruel tyrant. Following Fidel Castro’s death in November 2016, we asked five historians to offer their verdicts on the Cuban leader’s life and legacy.
Ismat Chughtai
Author and historian Urvashi Butalia details the life and words of a feminist powerhouse.
NASA's Compact Nuclear Reactors Could Power Colonies On Mars
IF humans are ever to build colonies on the Moon or on Mars, we are going to need a reliable way of powering essentials such as lighting, water and oxygen supply – not to mention a means of producing fuel for the long schlep home.
Acoustic Tractor Beam Breakthrough Could Lead To Levitating Humans
HERE’S an idea that is really gaining traction: for the first time, University of Bristol engineers have created an acoustic tractor beam capable of trapping objects larger than the wavelength of the sound being used.