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seen. From the elevated points of the castle one can observe the
magnificent views of nature: the snow capped peak of Kornet As Saouda
(3088 m) in the Lebanon Range to the south, and the valley of Nahr El
Kabir to the east.
In the end of the 11th
century AD, the western European states united by the church led to
Moslem Syria several military expeditions known as the Crusades. The
pope Urban II, considered as the chief of the western world, was
supported by monastic orders whose objective was the holy sanctuaries
in Jerusalem and securing the routes of Christian pilgrims to the holy
lands.
On 29th January 1099,
Raymond de Saint-Gilles, conte de Toulouse, marching from Antioch to
Jerusalem. Occupied a small fort “Hosn-al-Akrad”, the fort of the
Kurds, which was evacuated only few days later. In the next year the
fort was besieged by Tancred the Norman, eventually occupied by the
Franks, after which it remained under their control for 171 years. In
1142 the fort was ceded to the knights hospitalers, insuring, with the
other forts the defense of the county of Tripoly. In the second half
of the twelfth century Nour ed-Din failed twice to capture the fort.
After the victory in Hattin on July 4th 1188, Jerusalem falls back to
the Ayyubids . Saladin camped all the month of June 1188 on a hill
facing Krak, watched and continued his march to Jerusalem. On 29th
January 1271 during a reconnaissance raid the Mamluke sultan Baibars
passed by the fort without besieging it. On the 3rd of March heading a
large army with siege engines, the Mamlukes appear at the foot of Krak.
On the 5th they bring down the outer ring. Defenders take refuge in
the upper towers of the south side. On the 8th of April Krak
surrenders. The Crusades strongholds are all evacuated within the next
twenty years.
Visit
Perching 650 m high on
the spur of the mountain range which commands the gap of Homs, the
large route of communication between the interior and the coast.
A trapezoidal form whose
short side faces north, mainly built with limestone. A colossal system
of fortifications comprising two defensive structures flanked by
towers.
The west side of the
first structure, naturally protected by the inclination of the slope,
presents a perfect homogenous architectural aspect. The cylindrical
towers are connected by walls and protected by arrow slits and
machicolations . The tower on the south-west angle, the most
prominent and highest was probably destroyed during the siege and was
rebuilt later by Baibars.
The south side, the most
vulnerable, is raised in the center by a high massive square tower
built in 1285 by the Mamluke sultan Qalaoun, the successor of Baibars.
The east side, the
shortest, is protected by a huge round barbican, which was
reconstructed after an earthquake inserting blocks of rock quarried
from the ditch. Two ranges of arrow slits project from the upper part
of the wall.
The main entrance is
connected to the second structure by a ramp whose axis is bent,
groin-vaulted with regular openings which permit ventilation,
illumination and lancing during the siege.
The south side of the
external structure is composed of the most imposing constructions of
the defensive system: three huge round towers connected by walls.
The south-west tower;
the tower of the master which commands a wonderful view of the gap of
Homs, was the residence of the Grand Master of the order.
The inner structure of
Krak was built during the second period of the Franks occupation.
Below the entrance open to the north above the pointed arch, two lions
sculpted in high relief face one another. It is believed these are
imitation of local art.
A court in the internal
structure gives access to several buildings separate from the
fortifications.
The chapel, probably
built after the earthquake in 1170, consists of a single nave with
barel vault; a typical romanesque tradition. After the fall of Krak to
the Mamlukes , the chapel was converted into a mosque. Two prayer
niches were cut in the south wall and a stone pulpit date back to post
1271. Through a small door to the left of the apse one can see the
latrines along the north wall.
A hall (10 m high, 8 m
wide 20 m long) is the center of the domestic life of the garrison,
provided with a big circular oven and 27 m deep well.
The meeting hall with
groined vaults is a mater piece of Gothic architecture. The Gothic
loggia, built in the last period of the Franks occupation, separates
the meeting hall from the court
South-east of the court,
the dining room and the storage room occupy the major part of the
internal domestic structure. Some of the olive oil jars are intact in
the storage room. |
