800-Year-Old “Treasure Tunnels” Of The Knights Templar Discovered Under Israeli City
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Researchers found a new network of secret tunnels buried underneath the Israeli city of Acre.
About 800 years ago, the Knights Templar was headquartered in the Israeli city of Acre. This year, archaeologists were able to uncover a sprawling network of tunnels hidden underneath the city — which may lead to the Templar’s legendary treasure.
The discovery was unveiled a new National Geographic documentary series called Lost Cities, hosted by archaeologist Albert Lin.
“These warrior monks are the stuff of legend, and so is their gold,” Lin said in the documentary. “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.”
Lin’s team utilized light detection and ranging technology known as LiDAR, which allowed them to detect artifacts hidden underneath the ground. Their scans produced an accurate 3D map based on changes detected in the Earth’s geological surface.
The result was a map of an invisible network located right beneath modern-day Acre, which experts believe was used by the Knights Templar as secure passageways to transport treasure from the city’s port into their headquarters.
While researchers have uncovered the secret tunnels of the warrior monks, they have not found evidence to confirm their golden treasure is still in the city. Plans to excavate the tunnels have yet to be made.
