Research I: Everyday live during the Crusades

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   Hello Friends,

soon I will have a lot of spare time - so I decided to start a little art project.
I am a musician and 3d-Designer with a great Interest in History.
My plan: I want to create a little Islamic settlement in the near east in the times during the second or third Crusade, using Computergrafics and my other artskills. Like a 3D-Computer-diorama if you will.

I picked this timeperiod, because I think the Conflict between both the christian culture and the islamic culture (and them being forced to live next to each other in the crusader states) is some excellent material for such a project.

Here comes the problem: While it is quite easy to find out everything about major historical events, characters or war, the normal life of the normal people is hard to research.

And eventhough I dont strive to create a 100% historical accurate scientifically proven project, I'd still like to make something that comes relatively close to reality.
And so far my research was not too productive.

I wanted to start by modeling out different interiors of buildings. Therefore I need to know how an average builing in 1100s palestine or syria looks like.

I hardly find answers to questions as simple as these:

-Who/How many were living in the Houses? One Family? How big would such a Family be? Are the living with animals in the same home, like for example in ancient germany?

-How big was the average house? Which rooms did they have? Was it only one big room with multi-functions? Did different Family-Members have different sleep-places? Did the average house have multpile Stories (I am also adressing the Mud huts with an accessible roof)?

-How was the Layout? Is the house "only walls and a roof", or ale things like benches and Fireplaces integrated in the House? I've learned that they have pretty slim windows - but how many? Are windows and doors closable? What materials were used building the house and furniture?

-Most importantly: What was IN the homes? What furniture did the people have? What was considered precious? How did the store their belongings? In Shelces, Pottery, Chests? What did every household have? Tools, Food, Fabric, Animals, Beds, Fireplaces, Decoration... How did the light their Homes? How did they Eat and so on and so fourth.

Of course I am simply able to improvise all of that - invent own layouts and furniture... But I' would really prefer to use my project to also learn about that wonderful culture, and create something that feels real.
And I know, that people from said Area maybe know more about their own history than I do, or maybe someone is just better informed than me.

So if you have an answer to any of my questions I am really happy about a response. I am also thankful of image material - let it be historical oa a recreation... Everything is useful as reference art.

Excuse potential errors in my text - English is no my mother tounge ;)

Kind regards

Tim