Krak des Chevaliers, Medieval fortress in Al-Husn, Syria
Krak des Chevaliers stands on a 650-metre hill in the Homs Gap, built of pale limestone blocks. Its 13th-century outer wall carries a sloping talus along the base, pierced by a row of arrow slits, and a square tower with a narrow arched opening rises above the adjoining wall on the left. Two massive rounded towers form the centre of the inner castle, with a smaller round tower to their lower right and a stone bridge with arches at the lower right.
Kurdish troops erected the fortress in 1031 as a local stronghold. The Knights Hospitaller took control in 1142 and expanded it into one of the most important defensive works of the Crusader States before Sultan Baibars captured it in 1271.
The name derives from the Syriac karak, meaning walled city, corrupted by the crusaders into Le Crat and later romanticised in 19th-century French as Krak des Chevaliers. The Hospitallers' chapel inside the core was converted into a mosque after the Mamluk conquest of 1271, and a minbar was added.
Local guides offer tours through the inner rooms, defensive walkways, and vaulted cellars, with sturdy footwear recommended for the uneven stone paths and staircases. Opening hours remain limited and may vary depending on local conditions.
The garrison could accommodate up to 2,000 soldiers and contained storage vaults with enough food and equipment for five years. This capacity made the fortress nearly impervious to prolonged sieges.
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