Knights Templar “Treasure Tunnels” Found Under Israeli City
Wikimedia CommonsResearchers found a new network of secret Knights Templar tunnels buried underneath the Israeli city of Acre.
In 2019, researchers uncovered an 800-year-old network of hidden tunnels beneath the Israeli city of Acre that may have been built by the storied group known as the Knights Templar. This legendary order of Catholic warrior monks possibly used the tunnels as a secret route to a nearby treasure tower.
The order of these “crusading soldiers of God” was disbanded by Pope Clement V in 1312 after conflict between the knights and France’s King Philip IV came to a head. Nonetheless, years of excavations have shed new light on their work.
The effort was documented in a National Geographic series called Lost Cities that detailed how researcher Albert Lin and his team used LiDAR — light detection and ranging — technology to spot previously hidden artifacts under the Earth’s surface to create accurate 3D maps.
The team looked closely at Acre’s port, where a fortress used by the Knights Templar stood around 800 years ago.
“These warrior monks are the stuff of legend, and so is their gold,” said Lin. “During the Crusades, the Knights Templar battle for God, gold, and glory. Somewhere in the modern city of Acre lies their command center, and possibly their treasure.”
Acre was controlled by the Templar for about a century following the loss of their Jerusalem headquarters to the Muslim ruler Saladin in 1187. Some believe the gold they accumulated during their wars — which has never been found — could very well be buried in this newly discovered tunnel system.
