Table of Contents
Castle
Qasr al-Hosn is a Crusader castle located in Homs Governorate in Syria in the valley of Al-Naddara, northwestern Syria, to the south of the tourist town of Mashta al-Helu, on a hill of 650 meters, about 60 km from Homs. The eleventh century who came to protect the lines of trade, and this is why it was known as the Castle of the Kurds.
Castle description
The castle is considered one of the most important historical and architectural monuments in Syria, as it is one of the most important, largest and largest castles in the Middle Ages, which still exist until now. The castle is distinguished by its distinctive construction, high walls, military engineering, strong fortifications, a series of prominent terraces, its arrow arrows, and its distinctive location where it sits on a plateau Volcanic on a steep mountain range from its three sides in a strategic location at the crossroads of commercial and military roads for convoys between Homs, Tripoli, and Tartous. The castle extends 240 meters from north to south and 170 meters from east to west and consists of two internal and external fortresses between them A trench and a trench around it surrounded by high observation towers, and the area of the castle is large as it reaches about three hectares and its area can accommodate an army of three thousand soldiers with several gear and horses, and in terms of architecture, the castle stones are distinguished by their limestone color and light weight and divides the castle into several sections, including:
- The Knights Hall.
- The stage is circular.
- Mamluk Guard Hall.
- The King’s Tower.
- Dormitories of MOM soldiers.
- the church.
- Overhead towers.
- The warehouse where supplies are stored.
The castle through history
The fortress of Al-Hosn is considered a model for fortified military castles, so it was not built in one go but was shown in different stages where the Mordadians built the castle in 1031 AD under the leadership of Nasser bin Saleh Al-Merdasi with the aim of protecting trade routes and convoys coming from the Levant to the Levant, and then the Kurds inhabited it to protect the road, and with The arrival of the Crusades in 1099 A.D. Raymond Sungil seized it, then the Emir of Homs retrieved it in 1102, and with the passage of time the castle was subjected to a devastating earthquake in 1157 A.D., he destroyed most of its buildings, so the Crusaders repaired its parts and rebuilt their fortifications, and Nur ad-Din Zangi attempted to liberate the fort twice 1163-1167 A.D. Ha Salah al-Din al-Ayyubi insisted it in 1188 AD as his army passed to recover the Syrian coast.
