An ancient hilltop fortress. A crusader citadel in the West Bank. A
fairytale medieval castle fallen into ruin. From ancient times to the
end of the nineteenth century, Abandoned Castles explores more than
100 forts, castles and defensive strongholds from all around the globe.
From medieval Japanese castles to Spanish colonial forts in West Africa
to Norman stone keeps, the book ranges widely across history. Many have
long ceased to serve a purpose, but then, like the crusader castle Krak
de Chevaliers in Syria today, their impenetrable walls become the site
of more fighting centuries later. Others, such as the Cathar Château de
Queribus in southern France, stand high above peaceful coastlines,
testament to the wars of the past. Some are beautiful, others brutal,
but each tells a story about the way we fought and defended ourselves,
and how the building has survived and aged, long after the people it was
built by are gone. With 150 outstanding color photographs, Abandoned
Castles is a brilliant pictorial examination of castles, forts, keeps,
and defensive fortifications from the ancient world to the end of the
nineteenth century.