Syria and Jordan offer a unique opportunity to visit Crusader castles
Both Syria and Jordan have long been associated with Crusader history, and today both countries have numerous Crusader castles still in excellent condition. In the 11th and 12th centuries, religiously sanctioned campaigns cut across great swathes of Syria, Lebanon, Palestine and Egypt with the ultimate goal of capturing Jerusalem and The Holy Land.
In their efforts to conquer new lands and spread Christianity, the Crusaders set up many different castles, forts and strongholds, many of which still stand today. At the time they used cutting edge castle architecture and today they are still testament to a glorious passage of time in military building.
Hereby the ”must” visits castles built and held during the Middle Ages history.
Crac des Chevaliers (Syria):
A stunning piece of military architecture once described by T.E. Lawrence as: aE˜the best preserved and most wholly admirable castle in the worldaE™. Its fortifications are the easternmost of a chain of five castles sited to secure the Homs Gap aE" the easiest access between the Mediterranean and the Syrian interior. The castle derived its great strength from two concentric lines of defense punctuated by massive towers and once held a garrison of 2,000. Crac des Chevaliers was designed and built by The Knights Hospitaller who can be credited for their ingenuity and great architectural skills that have led to this particular Crusader castle remaining so well preserved today.
Marqab Castle (Syria):
One of the largest Crusader castles built was the Marqab castle (Margat) which sits on the edge of an extinct volcano overlooking the Mediterranean. Another Crusader castle from the Knights Hospitaller who managed to maintain their foothold on the region until 1285.
SaladinaE™s castle (Syria):
Originally built to defend and bolster the route between Latakia and Aleppo, SaladinaE™s castle, once known as Saone or Sayhoun, is one of the best examples of early Crusader military architecture and is set in a spectacular ridge top location. Despite boasting one of the most impregnable entrances in the world the castle fell to Saladin in 1188 after a very short siege.Google+