The sites in Syria, an archeologically important but politically sensitive country, are far from comfortable and only the most determined researchers go there. This goes some way to explaining how at the time of the millennium, the first archaeological digs on the coastal region were Hungarian - and more precisely, those of Balázs Major, a teacher of Arab studies, archaeology and history at Péter Pázmány Catholic University. He set out alone eight years ago with a rucksack on his back and a tape measure in his hand to fulfil a childhood dream to discover the historical traces of the crusaders. He initially looked for ceramics as these fragments of pottery are the best key to the history of settlements that have since been obliterated and literally ploughed in. He later found other things: one summer he and his ever-expanding team came across four crusader keeps, while on another occasion, within the space of a year they discovered three cave castles, one of which was at the roots of a fig tree in the back garden of an obliging local farmer. Balázs Major's colleagues found numerous "dead cities" from late antiquity, and at the border of one of these, the archaeologists were received with loaded guns by military intelligence personnel. However, the greatest adventure was winning the exploration and restoration rights for Hungary over Margat, the largest of the crusader castles.

"The Hungarians didn't accumulate too many historical black points, we never subjugated or tried to colonise the country, and we haven't got the biggest contingent in Afghanistan," commented Balázs Major on the reasons for the Syrian decision. However, none of this is enough by a long chalk. Personal connections also played a role in acquiring the concession. Balázs Major, the leader of the archaeological expedition, was a student of Adulrazzak Muadz, a teacher at the University of Damascus and former deputy minister of culture who had followed the work of his student from the outset. In Syria, a lot depends on language knowledge and the human touch. "Honest work and an open smile gets you a lot further than bribes - even if there was some kind of framework for bribery anyway," said Balázs Major, adding that: doing the groundwork is only half of archaeology, the other half is psychology. You have to be on good terms to discover the monuments in the area, because a satellite capable of doing this hasn't yet been invented. The Arabs are so deeply coded to be hospitable and friendly that this often overrides the instinct for self-preservation. For example, if somebody reveals that their land is an archaeological site then they can bet that building restrictions will be placed on it. This explains why locals have often used their own two hands to finish off the destruction wrought by the centuries and so eliminated the remains of the lost ages that could otherwise have brought them so much trouble.

Margat is situated in a beautifully picturesque location: in the Middle Ages, a harbour also belonged to the castle, which is set atop a high crest. Richard the Lionheart came ashore here on his way to the Holy Land and it was here that he was thrown into a dungeon as a valuable hostage by the Greek ruler of Cyprus. Margat Castle was the Johannite Order's most important fortress in the Holy Land, for the upkeep of which Andrew II contributed an annual sum of one thousand silver marks upon his visit there in the beginning of 1218.

In the recent past the Arab state recognised the site's potential for tourism and began construction at a rapid pace: five-star hotels sprung up on the silky sand to accommodate the tourists arriving on charter flights. Although Damascus was the first capital of the Islamic empire, in the European Union programme entitled Fortresses of the Mediterranean Region, the Syrians based the country's image on the crusader period. They would like to develop Margat on the coastal region into one of the most important tourist complexes.

Margat Castle, which is in almost perfect condition, could well serve as a copybook example of the age of the crusaders. One of the sensations of the research so far is the Christian frescoes discovered in the chapel in a place where according to Western specialist literature, nothing was ever painted. Presumably, the crusaders plastered over the wall paintings, perhaps because of an earthquake. As a result of the work carried out by Anna Selmeczi and Zsolt Szécsi, hell was uncovered with an impaled knight, people tortured on wheels, hanged by their necks or tongues, and a flying devil holding a hammer. A depiction of heaven began on the opposite wall, although these pictures are in a worse condition. No more can be said about them until the plaster and scales are painstakingly scraped off millimetre by millimetre.

The short-term goal of the international team working under the Hungarian flag is for Margat Castle to be restored to a condition in which it can be submitted for inclusion on UNESCO's world heritage list. The long-term goal is bigger than this. Balázs Major is proud of his team, which is composed of researchers and students from almost every university and prestigious archaeological institute in Hungary. As he says, serious work can't be a one-man show. One element of the "show" was that archaeologist and art historian Gergely Buzás constructed the 3D plan of the great hall (with the help of software developed by Hungarians) essential for the team's engineers in completing their final plans. In this way, by the time the archaeological research is completed, the castle will be half restored, assuming that a minimum of ten million forints for the group to carry out one season's work can be secured.