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Open-mindedness
 Perhaps
the single most important development of the Templar experience
in the Middle East was their intellectual encounter with Islam.
During the period of the Kingdom of Jerusalem, there was much
time for cultural exchange as the conflict was never continuous.
The Arab world was rich in culture and values. We still count
with
Arabic Numerals. The Arabs were great architects. Nowhere is
this better seen than in the
Alhambra in Granada, Southern Spain. We forget that much of
the works of the
Greek philosophers have come to us through Arabic translation.
The Templars were to develop an openness to ideas and concepts
that broke all the constraints of medieval convention.
An example of the encounter was recorded by
Usāmah, the leading Damascene expert on Frankish affairs, in
“The Crusades through Arab Eyes”:
”When I was visiting Jerusalem, I used to go to the al-Aqsā
mosque, where my Templar friends were staying. Along one side of
the building was a small oratory in which the Franj had set up a
church. The Templars placed this spot at my disposal that I
might say my prayers.”
Ref: Maalouf, Amin,The
Crusades Through Arab Eyes, Saqi Books; ISBN: 0863560237
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