Krak Des Chevaliers, The Crusader Castle in Syria, looks unerringly similar to what it looked during the Crusades. T.E. Lawrence beautifully described the fortress as-“perhaps the best preserved and most wholly admirable castle in the world”. The Castle of Knights is located 65km west of Homs and 75km south east of Tartus at the top of a ridge 650m above sea-level. It was built to manage the gateway of Syria-“Homs Gap” through which Syria corresponded with Mediterranean and the entire world. It is one of the chains of fortresses that guarded the Levant in the 13th century situated in a dominant position. The fortress is called ‘Qal'at al-Ḥiṣn’ in Arabic.

History:

The history of Syria had been one of domination and power conflicts and power play and some of the great dynasties which have shaped and influenced the culture of Homs are Franks, Ottomans, Byzantines, Persians, Romans and Hebrews. According to the historical records the Krak des Chevaliers, Homs is built by the Amir of Aleppo in 1031. In the time of the First Crusade it was Raymond IV of Toulouse who captured portions of the fortress. It was the Hospitallers who rebuilt portions of the fortress and then it was considered as one of the most important and largest fortress of the Crusaders in the whole of Jerusalem.

Description:

The castle consists of two must watch attributes: an outside wall with 13 towers and the inside wall. A moat separates the two. Once the moat was used to fill the baths and water the horses though it is full of stagnant water today. Leading to the courtyard is a notable gate in the 16 feet thick wall defining the main entrance of the castle. After the take over of Sultan Beybar, the chapel in the courtyard was converted into a mosque which can be still seen in the form of Minbar, an Islamic pulpit. At the crest of the castle rests a café which was once the Tower of the Daughter of the King and gives the pleasure of the great views.

The citadel has been acknowledged as the world’s most important medieval structures due to the reason that it could accommodate 5000 soldiers with their horses, equipments and provisions for five long years. Its total area is 3000 square meters and apart from what discussed above, has many stores, tanks, corridors, bridges and stables.

The fortress was also used as an example for the castles built in England and Wales by Edward I of England while on the Ninth Crusade in 1272.