History of Dor. 119 



Mellaha (x.^^L«JI). Apparently the fortress at Merla had been 

 destroyed by 1191, for there is no mention of a fortress there either 

 in the Itinerarium or in Bohaeddin's Life of Saladin just mentioned. 

 Attempts have been made to identify Merla with Dor^, and such 

 an identification is not impossible. However, in view of the fact 

 that Dor lies off the coast road, it may be better with Conder" to 

 locate Merla at El-Mezra'a^ between Dor and Caesarea, where a 

 strong Crusading tower still remains in ruins beside the main road. 

 Withal, we must still admit the possibility that the ruins at Dor 

 (if they be of the Crusading period at all) are those of Merla. It 

 seems almost certain, however, that the fortress was not standing 

 when Richard passed through this region. Otherwise some refer- 

 ence to it would doubtless have been made. 



Having arrived at Joppa, Richard issued orders to the army to 

 rebuild the fortresses of Plans and Maen*. The Templars, while 

 engaged in this work at Plans, were attacked by Turkish cavalry 

 from Bombrac. King Richard, who was busy rebuilding Maen, 

 heard of the tumult, and on his arrival succeeded in driving away 

 the Turks. 



Conder^, again relying upon Benjamin of Tudela", identifies 

 Maen with Capernaum, and therefore with Dor. Plans he places 

 at Kalensawieh, situated about twenty miles from Dor and a like 

 distance from Ibn Ibrak (= Bombrac). But the account of the 

 proceedings in the Itinerary makes it clear that Maen and Plans 

 are in the neighborhood of Joppa. Dor, which is nearly forty 

 miles away, cannot possibly be meant. Dr. Stubbs' suggests that 

 Plans is the village of Beit Dejan, five and one-half miles S.E. of 

 Joppa, and that Maen is to be sought at Saferiyeh, seven miles S.E. 

 of Joppa. These two towns are only one and one-half miles apart ; 

 this would make it easily possible for the king to rush quickly to 

 the rescue of the attacked Templars. These identifications are 



* Becueil, Hist. Occident., I, Part I, p. LIV; G. A. Smith, Hist. Geog., 

 p. 130. 



2 P.E.F., Spec. Pap., p. 275; Archer, I.e.; S.W.P. Mem., II, p. 4. 



3 The similarity in the names is to be noticed. 



* Itin. of Richard I, Bk. IV, §§ 29, 30 (Bohn's translation). 

 » P.E.F., Spec. Pap., p. 277. 



•See above, pp. 117 f. 



^ Archer, Crusades of Richard I, p. 176. 



