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Krak des Chevaliers
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Stone fortress Krak des Chevaliers stands atop a hill in Syria, with thick defensive walls, towers, and arched entryways, overlooking a distant mountain landscape. Krak des Chevaliers, a Crusader fortress located to the west of Ḥimṣ, Syria.
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French-Arabic:
“Castle of the Knights”
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Krak des Chevaliers
Krak des Chevaliers Krak des Chevaliers, Qalʿat al-Ḥiṣn, Syria.

Krak des Chevaliers

castle, Syria
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History

Krak des Chevaliers, greatest fortress built by European crusaders in Syria and Palestine, one of the most notable surviving examples of medieval military architecture. Built at Qalʿat al-Ḥiṣn, Syria, near the northern border of present-day Lebanon, Krak occupied the site of an earlier Muslim stronghold. It was built by the Knights of St. John (Hospitallers), who held it from 1142 till 1271, when it was captured by the Mamlūk sultan Baybars I. It has two concentric towered walls separated by a wide moat and could accommodate a garrison of 2,000 men. In 2006 the fortress (along with the Qalʿat Salāḥ al-Dīn [“Fortress of Saladin”]) was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site.

This article was most recently revised and updated by Amy Tikkanen.