Qalʿat al-Ḥiṣn (Al-Hisn Castle)

Qalʿat al-Ḥiṣn (Al-Hisn Castle)

Krak des Chevaliers

Overview:

• It is considered one of the most beautiful archaeological castles in the world. It is an ancient castle in the Talkalakh area in Homs Governorate.

• It is 21 km away from Al-Arida road and 60 km from Homs, it was known as the “Fortress of the Kurds - Hisn al-Akrad”.

Historic overview:

• It is believed that it was erected over the ruins of an older fortress, whose name was Shabtun, which was built by the pharaohs when they attacked Syria under the leadership of Rameses II in the fifteenth century BC.

• The first historical reference to the current fortress confirms that the Emir of Homs “Nasr bin Saleh al-Mardasi” laid its foundations in 1031 AD during his struggle with the Franks, and since then it has been occupied by a Kurdish garrison, so it was called “Fortress of the Kurds”, and it was also known as “The Fortress of the Basement or Al-Saffh” or "Castellum Karati", "Krak" and finally "Al-Hisn Castle".

• Since 1927, the castle was evacuated from the residents of the neighboring village and became a tourist attraction after it was restored, and since then it has been known to the Europeans as " Krak des Chevaliers".

Architectural Description:

• The castle is one of the best-preserved Frankish fortifications in the East.

• It took the shape of an irregular polygon; its large diameter is 200 m and the little one is 140 m.

Resources:

esyria.sy website

zamanalwsl website

discover-syria website

cometosyria website

alaraby's website

General Directorate of Antiquities and Museums website

The website of the Syrian Ministry of Tourism

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