Hungarians in Margat
MúzeumCafé 20.
The Syrian-Hungarian Archaeological Mission has been engaged in explorations at the Crusader fortress of Margat in Syria since 2007 and is currently the largest Hungarian-led archaeological expedition abroad. Numerous researchers and volunteers are participating in the work under the auspices of the Péter Pázmány Catholic University. The interdisciplinary project involves history, archaeology, art history, architectural history, geology, geophysics, archaeo-zoology, geoarchaeology, ethnography, monument protection, and the restoration of frescos and other items, and is playing a role in the field-work training of Syrian and Hungarian students. The huge building, which has been damaged by earthquakes, was still occupied at the beginning of the last century, but before the arrival of the Hungarians it had never been the scene of archaeological research. At the request of the Syrian authorities, the archaeologist and Arabist Balázs Major, a teacher at the Péter Pázmány University, organised and leads the research group. Apart from excavations and architectural surveys, importance is attached to uncovering the frescos in the chapel of the fortress. The results of the research obtained so far and the rich finds have already proved worthy of exhibition in Hungary. A display was organised in the local Arts and Literature Centre in Pécs from 21 October to 14 November as part of the 2010 ‘Pecs: European Capital of Culture’ project. In addition to photographs, tableaux and drawings showing the work of assessment and reconstruction, two maquettes and a computer-generated film presented the history of the fortress and its associations with the medieval Johannite Order, the Crusaders, as well as contemporary Hungary and the Christian fighters dispatched by its king, Andrew II. The most interesting items among the finds from Margat brought to Hungary.