Spades broke the earth to dig new foundations, and stonemasons cut blocks for new fortifications. The city—or a significant part of it—was rising once again. On a hill in the center of the broken town a new castle was being erected, “notable for its wall and towers.” This was not just an act of urban regeneration. It was part of an aggressive new military strategy being pursued in the far south of the crusader kingdom, with the Templars at its heart. For as the new castle was erected, the brothers were being earmarked to serve as both its guardians and its beneficiaries.
