List of Contributors List of Illustrations Abbreviations Introduction 1. Umayyad castles: the Shift from late Antique Military Architecture to early Islamic Palatial Building, D. Genequand 2. Qasr Hallabat (Jordan) Revisited: Reassessment of the Material Evidence, I. Arce 3. Recent Excavations in Early Abbasid Kharab Sayyar, J-W. Meyer 4. The Excavations at Madinat al-Far/ Hisn Maslama on the Balikh Road, C-P. Haase 5. The Walls of early Islamic Ayla: Defence or Symbol?, D. Whitcomb 6. The” Kastrom” of Qal’at Sem’an, J-L. Biscop 7. The Militarization of Taste in Medieval Bilad al-Sham, N. Rabbat 8. The Development of Islamic Military Architecture during the Ayyubid and Mamluk Reconquests of Frankish Syria, B. Michaudel 9. The Citadel of al-Raqqa and Fortifications in the Middle Euphrates Area, S. Heidemann 10. La Citadelle de Damas: les apports d’une etude archéologique, S. Berthier 11. The Citadel of Aleppo: recent studies, J. Gonnella 12. Defending Ayyubid Aleppo: the fortifications of al-Zahir Ghazi (1186-1216), Y. Tabbaa 13. The Citadel of \Harim, S. Gelichi 14. The Castle of Shayzar; the fortification of the access system, C. Tonghini and N. Montevecchi 15. The Tower of Aybak in Ajlun Castle: an example of the spread of an architectural concept in early 13th century Ayyubid fortification, C. Yovitchich 16. Exploratory Mission to Shumaymis, J. Bylinski 17. Mediaeval Cave Fortifications of the Upper Orontes Valley (a preliminary report), B. Major 18. Qal’at al-Rum/Hromgla/Rumkale and the Mamluk Siege of 691AH/1292 CE, A. Stewart 19. Fortifications East and West, J. France 20. Defensive ditches in Ottoman Fortifications in Bilad al-Sham, K. Prag 21. Ottoman Hajj Forts, A. Petersen