Contested Lands

Following the successful completion of the First Crusade and the foundation of the Crusader States in 1099, contacts between West and East increased, and this is reflected in the architecture. While most often seen solely in terms of French Romanesque and Gothic developments, Crusader architecture represents a union of local construction practices and a superficial overlay of French details, such as ribbed vaults and traceries. The close interaction of Western Europeans, Muslims, and Byzantines in the East is reflected in the architecture of the Ayyubids, Mamluks, and Seljuks in subsequent centuries.