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Abdul and 3 castles (Crac des Chevaliers)Jul 7, 2005
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Masyaf Castle - Exterior
Masyaf Castle - Interior Shot #1
Masyaf Castle - Interior Shot #2
| Using Hama as a springboard, we booked a tour of three nearby castles, including the infamous Crac des Chevaliers which is probably the best preserved of all the Crusader castles. The Crusaders had a line of castles all along the route to the holy land, some they built themselves, but more often they captured and fortified local citadels. Our driver for the day was the amiable Abdul who took excellent care of us in his beige 1974 Mercedes which, like Abdul himself, remains in great condition. MASYAF CASTLE First up was Masyaf Castle which, although smallest and least known of the three we visited, has a rich history and is best known during Crusader times as being the Syrian stronghold of the infamous Assassins. Headed by Rashid al-Din Sinan ("the Old Man of the Mountain"), these guys nominally killed in the name of the Islamic faith but had been known to align with foreign interests (such as the Crusaders) when it was politically expedient to do so. According to the stories, so feared was this band that they even succeeded in getting Salah uh-Din to lift a siege on their castle by threatening his life twice. According to the guidebook, Masyaf Castle was a pretty substantial ruin but we found it undergoing a major restoration project in an attempt to entice tour buses to swing by on their way to the better known coastal castles. While it is bound to lose some of its raw nature (which appealed to us greatly), the resulting business will be good for the surrounding town. As it was, we were the only tourists there and we spent an enjoyable hour investigating the many passages and ramparts whilst also being offered tea by the workmen on the site. Our advice to you is to get there before the hordes begin to arrive. AL MARQAB CASTLE From Masyaf, we drove westward across the Jebel an-Nusayriah, which is the mountain range that runs down the length of Syria and effectively seals off the coastal towns from those inland. Al Marqab Castle (the castle of the watchtower), situated just 6km from the coast and perched atop one of the highest peaks, took full advantage of this terrain to monitor the coastal traffic in Crusader times. Winding our way up a steep hill from the town of Banias, our first clear view of Al Marqab was when we rounded a bend to be greeted by the monstrous black walls of the southern tower and keep. Built from basalt rock quarried from the surrounding mountains, the steep sides, massive walls and even the color alone would lead an attacking force to fear that the devil himself lay within. Given this, it is hard to believe that the castle fell in 1285 after only 5 weeks of battle (although granted at that point, the Crusades were in serious decline) and even harder to believe that afterwards, it held little strategic value. As with Masyaf, we spent our time scrambling over broken walls and exploring the various nooks and crannies. Particularly impressive was the rock church that the Byzantines built and which still holds its little secret - a worn fresco of the Last Supper in a little alcove to the left of the apse. We also met the caretaker who we conversed with in French and who began to lead us to some of the lesser known parts including the near-dark dungeon where, even now, seeing the holes where the manacles would have been attached gave us the shivers. CRAC DES CHEVALIERS From here, it was off to the 'creme de la creme' of Crusader castles, the infamous Crac des Chevaliers. Although smaller than Al Marqab and in not nearly as dramatic a setting, Crac is stunning for the incredibly well preserved state it is in. While a certain amount of imagination had to be used for both of the other castles, Crac was a place you could imagine events actually happening and we could easily picture the 2,000 knights and their horses living there. Although slightly more vulnerable than Al Marqab, Crac never actually fell but instead, after many weeks under siege, a surrender was negotiated that allowed the knights to return safely to their homelands (real Kingdom of Heaven stuff here). One look at the steep slopes on three sides, the double moat and the sheerness of the inner walls (the "mountain" as the Muslims called it) was all it took to realize how formidable this castle was. All-in-all, this was an excellent day of touring and one for which we heartily appreciate Abdul's efforts in getting us around quickly and safely. The pictures we took probably don't do any of these castles enough justice but hopefully, they give you an idea of the magnitude and beauty of each. One that we missed was the Salah ud-Din's castle which, many have told us, rivals Crac and therefore, may be worth a look if you go to Syria yourselves. For us though, it will have to wait until next time. |
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