List of castles in Syria

This is a list of castles in Syria.

Key

Key
NameName of the surviving building, either how it is popularly known in English, its medieval name or its Arabic name
TypeUsually the type of castle represented by the predominant surviving fortified remains
DateUsually the dates of the principal building works relating to the surviving remains
ConditionAn indication as to what remains of the original castle structure
ImageBuilding or site as it currently exists
CoordinatesLocation of the castle
GovernorateGovernorate in which the castle is located
NotesBrief description or information of note

List of castles

Name
 Type
 Date
 Condition
 Image Coordinates Governorate Notes
Citadel of Aleppo Castle 12–13th centuries Partially restored 36°11′57″N 37°09′45″E / 36.19917°N 37.16250°E / 36.19917; 37.16250 (Citadel of Aleppo) Aleppo Covers an ancient tell with remains dating back to the 3rd millennium BCE.
Qal'at Najm Hilltop castle 12–13th centuries Partially restored 36°33′18″N 38°15′42″E / 36.55500°N 38.26167°E / 36.55500; 38.26167 (Qal'at Najm) Aleppo Besieged in 1820 by Ottoman forces after a local warlord had sought refuge in the castle.[1]
Citadel of Damascus Castle 11–13th centuries Partially restored 33°30′42″N 36°18′7″E / 33.51167°N 36.30194°E / 33.51167; 36.30194 (Citadel of Damascus) Damascus Part of the Ancient City of Damascus World Heritage Site.[2]
Citadel of Bosra Castle Partially restored 32°31′04″N 36°28′54″E / 32.51778°N 36.48167°E / 32.51778; 36.48167 (Citadel of Bosra) Daraa Built around a Roman theatre. Part of the Ancient City of Bosra World Heritage Site.[3]
Halabiye Hilltop castle 6th century Ruins 35°41′22″N 39°49′08″E / 35.68944°N 39.81889°E / 35.68944; 39.81889 (Halabiye) Deir ez-Zor Originally fortified by Queen Zenobia of Palmyra, refortified under the Byzantine Emperor Justinian I and partially re-used after the Muslim conquest of Syria.[4]
Qal'at Rahbeh Hilltop castle Ruins 35°00′18″N 40°25′24″E / 35.00500°N 40.42333°E / 35.00500; 40.42333 (Qal'at Rahbeh) Deir ez-Zor Much of the current structure dates back to its construction by the Ayyubid lord, Shirkuh II, in 1207.
Qal'at Sukkara Hilltop castle Ruins 36°25′38″N 40°23′56″E / 36.42722°N 40.39889°E / 36.42722; 40.39889 (Qal'at Sukkara) Al Hasakah Located in the Jebel Abd al-Aziz.
Qalʿat Abū Qubais Hilltop castle Partially restored 35°14′05.9″N 36°19′50.8″E / 35.234972°N 36.330778°E / 35.234972; 36.330778 (Qalʿat Abū Qubais) Hama
Citadel of Hama Castle Ruins 35°08′10″N 36°44′58″E / 35.13611°N 36.74944°E / 35.13611; 36.74944 (Citadel of Hama) Hama Excavated by a Danish expedition between 1931 and 1938.[5]
Qalaat al-Madiq Hilltop castle Residential area 35°25′12″N 36°23′33″E / 35.42000°N 36.39250°E / 35.42000; 36.39250 (Qal'at al-Madiq) Hama
Masyaf Castle Spur castle Partially restored 35°03′58″N 36°20′36″E / 35.06611°N 36.34333°E / 35.06611; 36.34333 (Masyaf Castle) Hama
Shaizar Spur castle Partially restored 35°15′55″N 36°33′59″E / 35.26528°N 36.56639°E / 35.26528; 36.56639 (Shaizar) Hama
Shmemis Hilltop castle Ruins 35°02′13″N 37°00′49″E / 35.03694°N 37.01361°E / 35.03694; 37.01361 (Shmemis) Hama
Citadel of Homs Castle Ruins 34°43′25″N 36°42′52″E / 34.72361°N 36.71444°E / 34.72361; 36.71444 (Citadel of Homs) Homs Built on top of an ancient tell with remains dating back to the 3rd millennium BCE.[6]
Fakhr-al-Din al-Maani Castle Hilltop castle Partially restored 34°33′46″N 38°15′25″E / 34.56278°N 38.25694°E / 34.56278; 38.25694 (Fakhr-al-Din al-Maani Castle) Homs
Qasr al-Hayr al-Gharbi Desert castle Ruins 34°22′28″N 37°36′21″E / 34.37444°N 37.60583°E / 34.37444; 37.60583 (Qasr al-Hayr al-Gharbi) Homs
Qasr al-Hayr al-Sharqi Desert castle Ruins 35°4′26″N 39°4′16″E / 35.07389°N 39.07111°E / 35.07389; 39.07111 (Qasr al-Hayr al-Sharqi) Homs
Krak des Chevaliers Hilltop castle Partially restored 34°45′25″N 36°17′4″E / 34.75694°N 36.28444°E / 34.75694; 36.28444 (Krak des Chevaliers) Homs Part of the Crac des Chevaliers and Qal'at Salah El-Din World Heritage Site.[7]
Harem Castle Hilltop castle Ruins 36°12′27″N 36°31′09″E / 36.20750°N 36.51917°E / 36.20750; 36.51917 (Harem Castle) Idlib
Bani Qahtan Castle Hilltop castle Ruins 35°23′44″N 36°09′15″E / 35.39556°N 36.15417°E / 35.39556; 36.15417 (Bani Qahtan Castle) Latakia
Bourzey castle Hilltop castle Ruins 35°39′29″N 36°15′39″E / 35.65806°N 36.26083°E / 35.65806; 36.26083 (Bourzey Castle) Latakia
Mahalibeh Castle Hilltop castle Partially restored 35°30′28″N 36°05′14″E / 35.50778°N 36.08722°E / 35.50778; 36.08722 (Mahalibeh Castle) Latakia
Qal'at Salah ed-Din Spur castle Partially restored 35°35′45″N 36°03′26″E / 35.59583°N 36.05722°E / 35.59583; 36.05722 (Qal'at Salah ed-Din) Latakia Part of the Crac des Chevaliers and Qal'at Salah El-Din World Heritage Site.[7]
Nimrod Fortress Hilltop castle 13th century 33°15′10″N 35°42′53″E / 33.25278°N 35.71472°E / 33.25278; 35.71472 (Nimrod Fortress) Quneitra The castle is located in the Golan Heights which is currently under Israeli occupation.
Citadel of Raqqa Castle 13th century Destroyed 35°56′4″N 39°00′5″E / 35.93444°N 39.00139°E / 35.93444; 39.00139 (Citadel of Raqqa) Raqqa The citadel was completely removed and built over in the 1950s.[8]
Qal'at Ja'bar Hilltop castle 12th century Partially restored 35°53′51″N 38°28′51″E / 35.89750°N 38.48083°E / 35.89750; 38.48083 (Qal'at Ja'bar) Raqqa Originally situated on a hilltop overlooking the Euphrates Valley but now turned into an island by the flooding of Lake Assad.[9]
Salkhad Castle Hilltop castle Ruins 32°29′38″N 36°42′36″E / 32.49389°N 36.71000°E / 32.49389; 36.71000 (Salkhad Castle) Suwayda
Chastel Blanc Hilltop castle Partially restored 34°49′14″N 36°07′01″E / 34.82056°N 36.11694°E / 34.82056; 36.11694 (Chastel Blanc) Tartus
Chastel Rouge Partially restored 34°48′44″N 35°58′14″E / 34.81222°N 35.97056°E / 34.81222; 35.97056 (Chastel Rouge) Tartus
Al-Kahf Castle Spur castle 12th century Ruins 35°02′27″N 36°04′58″E / 35.04083°N 36.08278°E / 35.04083; 36.08278 (Al-Kahf Castle) Tartus In 1192, Rashid ad-Din Sinan, also known as the Old Man of the Mountain, died in Al-Kahf Castle, which was an Ismaili stronghold during the 12th century.[10]
Qala'at Khawabi Spur castle Residential area 34°58′22″N 36°00′06″E / 34.97278°N 36.00167°E / 34.97278; 36.00167 (Qala'at Khawabi) Tartus
Margat Spur castle 11–12th centuries Partially restored 35°09′08″N 35°57′0″E / 35.15222°N 35.95000°E / 35.15222; 35.95000 (Margat) Tartus Headquarters of the Knights Hospitaller in Syria.
al-Sheikh Deeb Castle Hilltop castle Ruins Tartus
Citadel of Tartus Castle Residential area 34°53′36″N 35°52′35″E / 34.89333°N 35.87639°E / 34.89333; 35.87639 (Citadel of Tartus) Tartus

See also

References

  1. ↑ Sourdel 2010
  2. ↑ Ancient City of Damascus, UNESCO World Heritage Centre, retrieved 16 March 2011
  3. ↑ Ancient City of Bosra, UNESCO World Heritage Centre, retrieved 23 August 2011
  4. ↑ Burns 2009
  5. ↑ Shaw & Jameson 1999, p. 167
  6. ↑ King 2002, p. 42
  7. 1 2 Crac des Chevaliers and Qal'at Salah El-Din, UNESCO World Heritage Centre, retrieved 24 August 2011
  8. ↑ Heidemann 2006, p. 122
  9. ↑ Bounni 1977
  10. ↑ Willey 2005, p. 234

Sources

  • Bounni, Adnan (1977), "Campaign and exhibition from the Euphrates in Syria", The Annual of the American Schools of Oriental Research, 44: 1–7, JSTOR 3768538
  • Burns, R. (2009), The monuments of Syria. A guide, London: I.B. Tauris, pp. 160–161, ISBN 9781845119478
  • Heidemann, Stefan (2006), "The Citadel of al-Raqqa and Fortifications in the Middle Euphrates Area", in Kennedy, Hugh, Muslim Military Architecture in Greater Syria: From the Coming of Islam to the Ottoman Period, History of Warfare, 35, Leiden: Brill, pp. 122–150, ISBN 9004147136
  • King, G.R.D. (2002), "Archaeological Fieldwork at the Citadel of Homs, Syria: 1995–1999", Levant, 34: 39–58, doi:10.1179/007589102790217336
  • Shaw, Ian; Jameson, Robert (1999), A Dictionary of Archaeology, Oxford: Blackwell, ISBN 978-0631174233
  • Sourdel, D. (2010), "Ķalat Nadjm", in Bearman, P.; Bianquis, Th.; Bosworth, C.E.; van Donzel, E.; Heinrichs, W.P., Encyclopaedia of Islam, Second Edition, Leiden: Brill Online, OCLC 624382576
  • Willey, Peter (2005), Eagle's Nest: Ismaili Castles in Iran and Syria, Institute of Ismaili Studies, I.B.Tauris, ISBN 9781850434641
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