Experts find 'heaven and hell' on Crusader-era murals in Syria

DAMASCUS, Syria: Archaeologists have discovered two Crusader-era murals depicting heaven and hell in a medieval church on Syria's coast - a rare find that could reveal new information about the Christian knights who battled Muslims for control of lands both considered holy hundreds of years ago.

Experts are now renovating the 12th-century paintings, which were discovered last year by a joint Syrian-Hungarian team excavating an old Crusader fortress on a hilltop overlooking the Mediterranean in the eastern city of Tartous.

The murals, which measure about 2.5 meters high and 3.5 meters wide, were hanging on either side of the altar of a 12th-century chapel inside the al-Marqab Citadel and had accumulated thick layers of dust and dirt, archaeologists said.