Crac des Chevaliers Crusader Castle
Visit Crac des Chevaliers, the finest Crusader castle in the world and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the impregnable hilltop fortress of the Knights Hospitaller that dominated the Homs Gap for two centuries and inspired medieval castle design throughout Europe.
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Castle Approach
Approach Crac des Chevaliers on the winding road up to the hilltop position that Lawrence of Arabia called the most wholly admirable castle in the world, the massive concentric fortification visible from miles away on its spur overlooking the Homs Gap.
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Outer Walls and Moat
Examine the outer fortifications of Crac des Chevaliers where the massive talus walls, the moat, and the sophisticated defensive geometry of the Hospitaller engineers created defenses that withstood every siege for 130 years until 1271.
- 3
Great Hall
Enter the Great Hall of the Knights, the magnificent Gothic vaulted space where the Hospitaller knights dined and held council, the extraordinary preservation of this 13th century European interior in its Syrian hilltop setting one of the most surprising experiences in Middle Eastern travel.
- 4
Chapel
See the Crusader chapel within the castle, later converted to a mosque after the Mamluk conquest, the layers of Christian and Islamic use visible in the architecture of this sacred space that witnessed the transition between two religious civilizations.
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Panoramic Views
Enjoy the panoramic views from the castle towers over the Homs Gap and the Lebanese mountains beyond, understanding why this strategic position controlling the main pass between the Syrian interior and the Mediterranean coast made it worth the massive investment in fortification.
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Castle History
Learn the extraordinary history of Crac des Chevaliers from its Arab origins through Crusader rebuilding to Mamluk conquest, the 200 years of Hospitaller occupation producing the most sophisticated military architecture of the medieval world.