page_title: Burj el-Shemali
section_title: Medieval Times
hierarchical_section_title: Burj el-Shemali / History / Medieval Times
caption_attribution_description: English: The 12th/13th century Crusader Tower in the village of Burj el-Shimali ("Northern Tower") overlooking the city of Tyre/Sour in Southern Lebanon
context_page_description: Burj el-Shemali is a municipality located some 86 km south of Beirut and 3 km east of the Tyre/Sour peninsula, merging into its urban area. It is part of the Tyre Union of Municipalities within the Tyre District of the South Governorate of Lebanon.
  It is particularly known for hosting the second-largest of the twelve Palestinian refugee camps in the country as a de facto autonomous exclave effectively out of the reach of Lebanese officials: The camp is ruled by Popular Committees of Palestinian parties under the leadership of the Palestinian Liberation Organisation which is de facto recognised by the municipality through some degree of coordination and cooperation. The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East has the mandate to provide basic services, assisted by local and international NGOs. The Lebanese Armed Forces control entry and exit through the camp's main gate.
context_section_description: It is not clear whether Burj el-Shemali continued to be settled and/or used as a fuenrary place after the Arab armies defeated the Byzantine empire in the region and took over Tyre in 635 CE for half a millennium of Islamic rule.
  When the Tyre was taken over by a Frankish army in the aftermath of the First Crusade, the new rulers constructed a fortified tower on the hill of Burj el-Shemali overlooking the peninsula of Tyre. The village then adapted its name from that tower. There are also remains of another Crusader tower known as Al-Burj Al-Qobli in the Southern part of town. Like in ancient times, the lands of Burj el-Shemali were used as cemeteries in medieval periods.
caption: View from the Burj over Tyre
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