 Following the destruction of the site by Hazael, Philistine Gath lost its role as a primary Philistine city.Although the site was settled during later periods, it never regained its role as a site of central importance.During the Crusader period, following the conquest of the land during the First Crusade, a small fortress, named "Blanche Garde" for the dramatic white chalk cliffs that guard its western approach, was built at the site as part of the Crusader encirclement of Fatimid Ashkelon.