Arsuf

أرسوف

A small fishing port on the Palestinian coast, about ten miles north of Jaffa; its Arabic name probably preserves its original dedication to the Semitic god Reseph. In the early Caliphate it was one of the principal fortified cities of Filastin. The Crusaders under Baldwin I occupied it in 494 AH (1101), calling it Azotus; Saladin recaptured it in 583 AH (1187); it was restored to the Crusaders under the truce with Richard I in 588 AH (1192); and the sultan Baybars took it in 663 AH (1265) after a siege of forty days, leaving it in ruins ¹.

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Region: Levant & Iraq
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Overview

Arsuf was a small fishing port on the coast of Palestine, about ten miles north of Jaffa. Its Arabic name probably keeps its original dedication to the Semitic god Reseph. In the early centuries of the Caliphate it was one of the principal fortified cities of the province of Filastin. ¹

The Crusades

The Crusaders under Baldwin I occupied it in 494 AH (1101) and called it Azotus. Saladin recaptured it in 583 AH (1187). In 587 AH (7 September 1191) Saladin and Richard I fought an engagement there, and in 588 AH (1192) it was restored to the Crusaders under the truce with Richard. John of Arsuf refortified it in 640 AH (1242). ¹

End

The sultan Baybars Bundukdari captured it after a siege of forty days, on 11 Rajab 663 AH (29 April 1265), and left it in ruins. ¹

Sources

Encyclopaedia of Islam, 2nd edition (Leiden: Brill, 1954–2008), 13 volumes , vol. 1 p. 711

Cite this page

islam.museum contributors. “Arsuf”. islam.museum, https://islam.museum/en/place/arsuf/. CC BY-SA 4.0. Last updated 2026-10-25.

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