Arsur Castle Maritime Installation (1241–1265 CE)

The maritime installation, sometimes called the ‘port’ or the ‘military harbour’ of Apollonia-Arsuf, is located at the foot of the cliff on which the Crusader castle of Arsur stands, about 37 km south of Caesarea, Israel. Opinions have differed as to the true nature of the site: was it a real port or harbour? Was it just a mooring basin for small craft? Or was it just an installation designed to prevent an approach from the coast to the cliff on which the castle itself stood? In an attempt to elucidate these questions various investigations have been carried out in the course of the last five years, within the ‘harbour’ itself, as well as outside.