Israeli diver finds 900-year-old crusader sword

The ancient iron weapon, now encrusted in marine organisms, was found by Shlomi Katzin after shifts in the sand left it exposed

The sword – a ‘beautiful and rare find’ – has been preserved in perfect condition, says the Israel Antiquities Authority

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A sword believed to have belonged to a crusader who sailed to the Holy Land almost a millennium ago stands in the water on Monday near to where it was recovered from the Mediterranean seabed by an amateur diver in Caesarea, Israel. Photo: Reuters

Published: 2:56am, 20 Oct 2021Updated: 3:01am, 20 Oct 2021

Israel on Tuesday displayed a 900-year-old sword believed to have belonged to a crusader, found by a scuba diver off the Mediterranean coast.

The Israel Antiquities Authority said diver Shlomi Katzin came across the iron sword, now encrusted in marine organisms, after shifts in the sand left it exposed.

“The sword, which has been preserved in perfect condition, is a beautiful and rare find and evidently belonged to a crusader knight,” Nir Distelfeld of the IAA said in a statement.

The IAA said the Carmel coast area where the sword was found was used through the centuries by ships seeking shelter from storms due to its many coves, leaving various “rich archaeological finds”.

Jacob Sharvit of the Israel Antiquities Authority displays an ancient sword that experts say dates back to the Crusader era. Photo: AFP

Katzin was on a weekend dive in northern Israel when he spotted a trove of ancient artefacts that included anchors, pottery – along with the sword.

The diver was about 150 metres (490 feet) off the coast in five-metre-deep water when he made the discovery.