Fortress of the Knights Templar

During the Crusades, the warrior monks fought for God, gold, and glory. Somewhere in the modern city of Accra lies their command center and possibly their treasure. I am here to locate them. My name is Albert Glenn, and I use 21st-century technologies to look back into our past. With lasers that scan deserts, strip away dense jungle canopy, and scour the oceans, I uncover the hidden worlds beneath. I am venturing into uncharted waters to make discoveries in the most awe-inspiring places on Earth. Here we are in the 13th century, carved out of the earth, in what is the new golden age of exploration.

The Mediterranean city of Accra was once one of the centers of the Christian world and the gateway between Europe and Asia. During the first port of entry for European pilgrims or merchants from every point on the compass, the maze of streets in this port city would have been packed with the faithful on pilgrimage to Jerusalem. Many were wealthy, far from home, and in need of protection. Security was provided by a powerful band of devout but deadly monks, the Knights Templar.

My goal is to locate the Templars' area of control in the medieval city of Accra. The ancient crypt I am in lies in the southwest of modern Accra. The next stop is a Templar location that has been excavated, which is 150 yards away beside the harbor. The Templars had a lot of gold they collected from the pilgrims, and they wanted a secret passageway for security to go from the port to their water. The Templar gold moved through these ancient tunnels, and it's safe to say that this is the case.

Following the tunnel scan has given me a key landmark, the guard house. It looks like the Templar zone begins here and then runs west. Gold would have passed through the guard house under these streets, and gold is the key to the Templars' power and prestige. In Jerusalem, I have access to one of the world's largest hordes of Crusader gold, which is housed in a vault. The collection has one of the largest gold hordes that dates to the Crusader periods.If one were a member of the Templar order, they were required to surrender all their possessions to the order, as all the money collected was used for the defense of the Holy Land. Due to this necessity, the Templars became extremely wealthy. As there were no modern banks at the time, people would deposit their coins in these spots and bury them if the enemy came close. This is exactly what happened with the pot of gold that was found in a 13th century Crusader Castle. The horde belonged to the Crusader period as it was found buried under the floorboards of the castle. The Crusaders were known to bury their gold when under attack, as they were often hacked to death just to see if they had gold in their bowels. The Templars had numerous castles in the Holy Land and Europe, and the largest Templar Castle in the area was the Castle of Safety, which cost one and a half million gold coins to build. The Templars were so wealthy that they had a massive vault to protect their gold at their Command Center in Accra. The foundations of the Templar Fortress in Accra have never been mapped in detail, but a drone scan of the lagoon has revealed the precise coordinates of the remains, creating a 3D digital survey. The Fortress would have had two towers, one at each corner, and a treasure tower by the sea. Belvoir Fortress in northeastern Israel is one of the most impressive Crusader castles of the 12th century, with massive walls and a sophisticated design to prevent the enemy from storming the castle. The inner Fortress was where the treasure would have been held, and it was designed to create confusion and fear to keep the place safe.In the end, the Crusaders were compelled to surrender, and Muslim leader Saladin spared their lives. The Fortress itself was a valuable prize, and I have observed the typical elements of a Crusader stronghold designed to keep attackers out and gold in. As the Crusaders moved their fortunes around Europe and the Holy Lands, they became like ancient ATMs, but protected like Fort Knox.

Now, with enough data to reconstruct the features of the Templar Fortress, I am working with Crusader experts to determine the location of their treasure Tower. By digitally rebuilding the Templar Fortress in Acre, we will finally be able to see for ourselves what the treasure Tower might have looked like.

The Templar Fortress was a maze of walls, halls, and ground chambers, with giant carved stones marked by proud Masons. Great Gothic bolts arched above epic interiors, a monument to their holy war. The Fortress was the colossal wealth and power of the Templars manifested in stone, and they must have thought it would last forever.

However, in 1291, the Mamluks besieged the city, collapsing the mighty Fortress walls and marking the fall of Acre, the last Crusader Outpost in the Holy Land. For the Templars, it was the beginning of the end. They fled in haste, perhaps to the port and then out through the harbor, trying to smuggle out their fortune. The medieval coins found in the harbor may point to the direction of their treasure.

In the end, the Templars lost everything except perhaps their fortune. The fall of Acre was a tragic event, and even the Mamluks had pity on the victims.