Syria's Finest Castles: Ten Citadels and Fortresses Not to Miss
Ten Syrian castles not to miss: Aleppo, Krak des Chevaliers, Saladin's Castle, Marqab, Masyaf, Shaizar, Safita and more — and how to reach them.
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Few countries hold so many castles in so small a space. On the trade routes, the borders of kingdoms and the paths of the Crusades, everyone who passed through Syria built their fortresses on the hilltops. Here are ten castles worth the journey.
1. The Citadel of Aleppo
On a mound in the heart of the city, reached by a stone bridge and a massive gate. One of the greatest castles of the Middle East — see our Aleppo guide.
2. Krak des Chevaliers
The most famous Crusader castle, with two concentric walls and round towers, west of Homs — see our Krak des Chevaliers guide.
3. Saladin's Castle
In the Latakia mountains, on a rocky ridge between two ravines. Its marvel is the ditch cut into the rock, with a rock needle left standing in the middle to carry the bridge. Listed by UNESCO together with Krak des Chevaliers.
4. Marqab Castle
Near Baniyas on the coast, built of black basalt and looking out over the sea. It was one of the great castles of the Hospitallers.
5. Masyaf Castle
West of Hama, well restored, and linked in the Middle Ages to the Nizari Ismailis — see Hama, Apamea and Masyaf.
6. Shaizar
On the Orontes north-west of Hama, on a long, narrow rock. It belonged to the Munqidh family, among them Usama ibn Munqidh, author of the famous memoir of the Crusader age, the "Book of Contemplation".
7. Qal'at Shmemis
Near Salamiyah, on the summit of an old volcanic cone. A small castle, but its view across the plain is wide and wonderful.
8. Qal'at Ja'bar
On the shore of the great lake behind the Euphrates dam in the north-east. It stood on a hill; when the lake flooded the land around it, it became a near-island in the water.
9. Safita
The remains of a Crusader castle between Tartus and Homs, famous for its white keep, which still holds a church where services are held. From its roof you can see the mountains and the sea.
10. The Citadel of Damascus
At the edge of the old city by Souq al-Hamidiyeh: a castle on flat ground rather than a hill, built by the Ayyubids on older foundations.
And two castles inside cities
- The citadel of Bosra, which saved the Roman theatre — see our Bosra guide.
- The castle of Palmyra on the hill above the ruins — see our Palmyra guide.
Most castles sit on hills outside the towns, reached by mountain roads. A car or a car with a driver is the practical way to see more than one in a day.
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