Krak de Chevaliers or Hosn Al-Akrad

Some of you are familiar with the name Lawrence of Arabia, a British liaison officer who fought with the Arabs against the Turks (who had aligned with the Germans) in World War I. He had a fascination with castles, and wrote extensively about them in his memoirs. Krak de Chevaliers was his favorite, and he described it as, “…perhaps the most wholly admirable castle in the world.” It is by far the best-preserved Crusader castle in Syria (and there are many!)

Krak de Chavliers was the headquarters of the Knights Hospitaller in Syria during the Crusades. They rebuilt and expanded it into the largest Crusader fortress, with walls 30 meters thick. It was an impregnable fortress. It was unsuccessfully sieged by Nur Ad-Din in 1163 and by Saladin in 1188. It was never captured through siege, but eventually through trickery it fell into Arab hands in 1271.

We visited Krak de Chevaliers with friends, and had fun exploring its various nooks and ramparts. There were no restrictions on where we could climb and explore. It was remarkable to imagine what the castle must have been like in its prime – from the hot oil which once cascaded down its walls during attacks, to the mounted Crusaders as they crossed the drawbridge in full regalia.