"The small party of Arab and Persian travellers were strung out along what might have been called a road, but which was, for all practical purposes, just a dry and increasingly rocky path. They were on the lower foothills of the Lebanon mountains, slowly working their way home, treading wearily up the tightly winding slopes. Social standing and the geography of their ascent were matched in a strange symmetry, from the highest to the lowest."
"At the front of the group were the well-groomed and clearly expensive horses - animals which befitted the status of the diplomats who were riding them. These were men at ease with themselves and their world, looking ahead, quietly confident - and thinking about the discussions that had taken place over the previous days. Their measured voices occasionally rose above the rhythmic clattering of their horses' hooves, working through the possible responses to what they had heard, the different strategies"
An ambush in the Lebanon mountains provoked a major diplomatic crisis in the twelfth century, creating confrontation between the Templars, their king, and supposed Nizari allies. A small party of Arab and Persian travelers moved along a rocky foothill path, with social rank mirrored by position in the convoy. Wealthy diplomats rode well-groomed horses and reflected on recent discussions and strategic responses. Retainers and squires managed practical tasks while watching for trouble. At the rear, mule drivers and elderly water- and firewood-gatherers occupied the lowest status. The party rounded a sharp corner when an attack began from concealment.
Read at Medievalists.net
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