Krak des Chevaliers (French: [kʁak de ʃ(ə)valje]; Arabic: قلعة الحصن, romanized: Qalʿat al-Ḥiṣn, Arabic: [ˈqalʕat alˈħisˤn]; Old French: Crac des Chevaliers or Crac de l'Ospital, meaning "fortress of the hospital"; from Classical Syriac: ܟܪܟܐ, romanized: karəḵā, meaning "walled city") is a medieval castle in Syria and one of the most important preserved medieval castles in the world. The site was first inhabited in the 11th century by Kurdish troops stationed there by the Mirdasids. In 1142, Raymond II, Count of Tripoli, gave the castle to the Knights Hospitaller. The order occupied it until it was recaptured by Muslims in 1271.
The Hospitallers began rebuilding the castle in the 1140s and completed it by 1170, though an earthquake damaged it afterward. The order controlled castles along the border of the County of Tripoli, a state formed after the First Crusade. Krak des Chevaliers was one of the most important castles, serving as both an administrative center and a military base. After a second building phase in the 13th century, the castle became a concentric castle, with an outer wall that gave it its current shape. The first half of the 13th century is known as Krak des Chevaliers' "golden age." At its peak, the castle housed about 2,000 soldiers, allowing the Hospitallers to collect tribute from a large area. However, the order's fortunes declined after the 1250s. In 1271, the Mamluk Sultanate captured the castle after a 36-day siege, reportedly due to a forged letter from the Hospitallers' Grand Master that caused the knights to surrender.
Interest in Crusader castles grew in the 19th century, leading to studies of Krak des Chevaliers and the creation of architectural plans. By the late 19th or early 20th century, a settlement was built inside the castle, causing damage to its structure. In 1933, the 500 residents were moved, and the castle was handed over to the French Alawite State, which restored and cleared the site. After Syria gained independence in 1946, the country took control of the castle.
Today, the village of al-Husn, with nearly 9,000 people, surrounds the castle. Krak des Chevaliers is about 40 kilometers (25 miles) west of Homs, near the border of Lebanon, and is part of the Homs Governorate. Since 2006, Krak des Chevaliers and Qal'at Salah El-Din have been recognized by UNESCO as World Heritage Sites. The castle was partially damaged during the Syrian civil war from shelling and was recaptured by Syrian government forces in 2014. Reconstruction and conservation efforts have since begun. Reports on the castle's condition are published yearly by UNESCO and the Syrian government.
Etymology
The word "Krak" comes from "karak," a Syriac term meaning a walled city or fortress. Before the arrival of the crusaders, the local Arab ruler built a fort on the site, guarded by Kurds, and named it Ḥoṣn al-Akrād (حصن الأكراد), which means "Fort of the Kurds" in Arabic. After the crusaders built the current castle, they changed the name to "Le Crat." Later, they confused this with "karak," leading to the name "Le Crac."
Because the fortress was linked to the Knights Hospitallers, it was called "Crac de l'Ospital" (Fortress of the Hospital) during the Middle Ages. In the 19th century, the name was changed to "Krak des Chevaliers" in French, meaning "Fortress of the Knights."
Location
The castle is located on top of a 650-meter-high (2,130-foot) hill east of Tartus, Syria, in the Homs Gap. On the opposite side of the gap, 27 kilometers (17 miles) away, is the 12th-century castle of Gibelacar (Hisn Ibn Akkar). The Homs Gap is an important route that connects the cities of Tripoli and Homs. To the north of the castle lies the Syrian Coastal Mountain Range, and to the south is Lebanon. The area around the castle is fertile, with streams and plenty of rainfall. Compared to the Kingdom of Jerusalem, other Crusader states had less land that was good for farming. However, the limestone hills of Tripoli were well-suited for building strong defensive positions.
In the County of Tripoli, land given to the Knights in the 1140s included the Krak des Chevaliers, the towns of Rafanea and Montferrand, and the Beqa'a plain, which separates Homs and Tripoli. Homs was never controlled by the Crusaders, so the area near Krak des Chevaliers was at risk from attacks launched from the city. While the castle's closeness to Homs made it harder for the Knights to defend their land, it also allowed them to launch raids nearby. Because the castle controlled the Beqa'a plain, it became the Knights' most important stronghold in the region.
History
In 1031, the Mirdasid emir of Aleppo and Homs, Shibl ad-Dawla Nasr, created a settlement for Kurdish tribesmen at the site of a castle known as "Ḥiṣn al-Safḥ." Nasr rebuilt the castle to help the Mirdasids regain access to the coast of Tripoli after losing nearby Hisn Ibn Akkar to the Fatimids in 1029. Because Nasr stationed Kurdish troops there, the castle became known as "Ḥiṣn al-Akrād" (Fortress of the Kurds). The castle was located on the southern edge of the Jibal al-Alawiyin mountain range and controlled the road between Homs and Tripoli. Engineers often built castles on high ground, like hills and mountains, because these places naturally blocked enemy movement.
In January 1099, during the First Crusade, Raymond IV of Toulouse’s group was attacked by the garrison of Hisn al-Akrad, the earlier version of Krak des Chevaliers. The next day, Raymond found the castle empty. The Crusaders briefly occupied it in February 1099 but left when they continued to Jerusalem. Permanent control began in 1110 when Tancred, Prince of Galilee, took over the site. The original castle was very different from what remains today, and no part of it is still visible.
The origins of the Knights Hospitaller are unclear, but the order likely formed around 1070 in Jerusalem. It began as a religious group that cared for the sick and later protected pilgrims traveling to the Holy Land. After the First Crusade captured Jerusalem in 1099, many Crusaders gave their land in the Levant to the Hospital of St. John. Over time, the order expanded to include the Crusader states of Tripoli and Antioch. Evidence suggests the order became a military group in the 1130s when Fulk, King of Jerusalem, gave the newly built castle at Beth Gibelin to the Hospitallers in 1136. A papal bull from 1139 to 1143 may show the order hiring people to defend pilgrims. Other military groups, like the Knights Templar, also protected pilgrims.
Between 1142 and 1144, Raymond II, Count of Tripoli, gave land in his county to the Hospitallers. Historian Jonathan Riley-Smith said the Hospitallers created a "palatinate" in Tripoli, meaning they controlled large areas of land. This included castles they used to defend Tripoli. Along with Krak des Chevaliers, the Hospitallers were given four other castles along the borders of the state, allowing them to control the region. An agreement with Raymond II stated that if he did not join the Hospitallers on campaigns, all spoils from battles belonged to the order. If he was present, the spoils were split equally. Raymond II could not make peace with Muslims without the Hospitallers’ approval. The Hospitallers made Krak des Chevaliers their administrative center, building it into one of the most advanced Crusader fortifications in the Levant.
After acquiring the site in 1142, the Hospitallers began building a new castle to replace the earlier Kurdish structure. This work continued until 1170, when an earthquake damaged the castle. An Arab source noted the quake destroyed the castle’s chapel, which was later rebuilt. In 1163, the Crusaders defeated Nur ad-Din in the Battle of al-Buqaia near Krak des Chevaliers.
Drought from 1175 to 1180 led the Crusaders to sign a two-year truce with the Muslims, though Tripoli was not included. In the 1180s, raids by both Christians and Muslims increased. In 1180, Saladin attacked the County of Tripoli, causing destruction. The Crusaders avoided open battle and retreated to their fortifications. Without capturing castles, Saladin could not control the area, and after he left, the Hospitallers repaired their damaged lands. The Battle of Hattin in 1187 was a major defeat for the Crusaders. King Guy of Jerusalem was captured, along with the True Cross, a relic from the First Crusade. Saladin ordered the execution of captured Hospitaller and Templar knights, showing the orders’ importance. After this loss, the Hospitallers focused on their castles in Tripoli. In May 1188, Saladin attacked Krak des Chevaliers but decided it was too strong and instead targeted the Hospitaller castle of Margat, which he also failed to capture.
Another earthquake struck in 1202, possibly leading to the castle’s redesign. The 13th-century work was the final major construction phase at Krak des Chevaliers, giving it its current appearance. A stone wall was built between 1142 and 1170, forming the castle’s inner court. No evidence of an earlier wall surrounding the inner court has been found.
The first half of the 13th century is called Krak des Chevaliers’ "golden age." While other Crusader strongholds faced threats, Krak des Chevaliers and its 2,000 soldiers controlled the surrounding area. It became the center of a principality that remained in Crusader hands until 1271, the only major inland region under constant Crusader control during this time. Travelers often stopped at the castle and made donations. King Andrew II of Hungary visited in 1218 and called the castle the "key of the Christian lands." He gave the Hospitallers 60 marks yearly and 40 marks to the brothers. Geoffroy de Joinville, uncle of the chronicler Jean de Joinville, died at Krak des Chevaliers in 1203 or 1204 and was buried in the castle’s chapel.
Most historical accounts about Krak des Chevaliers come from Muslim sources, which often highlight Muslim victories while downplaying Crusader successes. These accounts suggest the Hospitallers forced Hama and Homs to pay tribute. This situation continued as long as Saladin’s successors fought among themselves. Krak des Chevaliers’ location near Muslim territories allowed it to launch attacks on nearby areas. By 1203, the garrison raided Muslim-controlled Montferrand and Hama. In 1207 and 1208, soldiers from the castle attacked Homs. Krak des Chevaliers also served as a base for expeditions to Hama in 1230 and 1233 after the amir refused to pay tribute. The 1233 attack showed the castle’s importance.
Architecture
In the early 1900s, T. E. Lawrence, known as Lawrence of Arabia, said that Krak des Chevaliers was "perhaps the best preserved and most wholly admirable castle in the world, [a castle which] forms a fitting commentary on any account of the Crusading buildings of Syria." Castles in Europe provided living spaces for their owners and were centers of administration; in the Levant, the need for strong defenses was most important and influenced how castles were built. Historian Kennedy suggested that "The castle scientifically designed as a fighting machine surely reached its highest point in great buildings like Margat and Crac des Chevaliers."
Krak des Chevaliers can be classified as a spur castle because of its location, and after the 13th-century expansion, it became a fully developed concentric castle. It was similar in size and layout to Vadum Jacob, a Crusader castle built in the late 1170s. Margat has also been called Krak des Chevaliers' sister castle. The main material used at Krak des Chevaliers was limestone; the smooth outer layer of stone was so fine that the mortar between the stones was barely visible. Outside the castle's entrance was a "walled suburb" called a burgus, but no evidence of it remains. To the south of the outer area was a triangular outwork, and the Crusaders may have planned to build stone walls and towers around it. It is unknown how it was defended during the 1271 siege, though some believe it was surrounded by a wooden fence. South of the castle, the hill it stands on connects to the next hill, allowing siege machines to approach on flat ground. The inner defenses were strongest at this point, with a group of towers linked by a thick wall.
Between 1142 and 1170, the Knights Hospitaller built on the site. The castle had a stone wall with square towers that slightly extended outward. The main entrance was between two towers on the east side, and a smaller gate was in the northwest tower. At the center was a courtyard surrounded by vaulted rooms. The natural shape of the land influenced the castle's irregular form. Crusader castles often used natural defenses, and the steep slopes around Krak des Chevaliers provided protection on all sides except one, where the castle's defenses were concentrated. This early construction was later incorporated into the castle's later design.
When Krak des Chevaliers was rebuilt in the 13th century, new walls were added around the inner courtyard. These walls followed the earlier ones, with a narrow gap between them on the west and south sides, which became a gallery for defenders to attack enemies. In this area, the walls were supported by a steep slope called a glacis, which helped protect against siege weapons and earthquakes. Four large, round towers stood vertically from the glacis and were used as living spaces for about 60 knights. The southwest tower was designed to house the rooms of the Grand Master of the Knights Hospitaller. Though the defenses that once lined the inner walls no longer survive in most places, they did not cover the entire area. There were no openings called machicolations on the southern side. The space between the inner courtyard and outer walls was narrow and not used for living. In the east, where the defenses were weaker, there was an open cistern filled by an aqueduct. It acted as both a moat and a water supply for the castle.
At the north end of the small courtyard is a chapel, and at the south end is an esplanade. The esplanade is raised above the rest of the courtyard; the vaulted area beneath it would have been used for storage and could have served as shelter for animals or protection from attacks. Along the west side of the courtyard is the hall of the Knights. Though likely built in the 12th century, the interior was renovated in the 13th century. The intricate tracery and decoration are an example of Gothic architecture, probably from the 1230s.
The current chapel was likely built to replace the one destroyed by an earthquake in 1170. Only the east end of the original chapel, which held the apse, and a small part of the south wall remain from the original. The later chapel had a barrel vault and a simple apse; its design would have been outdated by French standards at the time but resembled the chapel built around 1186 at Margat. It was divided into three roughly equal sections. A decorative strip ran around the chapel where the vault ended and the wall began. Oriented roughly east to west, it was 21.5 meters (71 feet) long and 8.5 meters (28 feet) wide, with the main entrance on the west and a smaller one on the north wall. When the castle was rebuilt in the early 13th century, the entrance was moved to the south wall. The chapel was lit by windows above the decorative strip, one at the west end, one on either side of the east section, one on the south side of the central section, and the apse at the east end had a large window. In 1935, a second chapel was discovered outside the castle's main entrance, but it no longer exists.
The second major building phase by the Hospitallers began in the early 13th century and lasted many years. The outer walls were built in the last major construction on the site, giving Krak des Chevaliers its current appearance. Standing 9 meters (30 feet) high, the outer walls had towers that strongly extended from the wall. While the towers of the inner courtyard had square shapes and did not extend far beyond the wall, the towers of the 13th-century outer walls were rounded. This design was new and even contemporary Templar castles did not have rounded towers. The technique was developed at Château Gaillard in France by Richard the Lionheart between 1196 and 1198. The extension to the southeast is of lower quality than the rest of the circuit and was built at an unknown date. Probably around the 1250s, a smaller gate was added to the north wall.
Arrow slits in the walls and towers were placed to reduce the amount of areas where enemies could hide. Machicolations were parts of the walls that allowed defenders to drop objects on enemies below. They were so narrow that archers would have had to crouch inside them. The box-shaped machicolations at Krak des Chevaliers were more complex than those at Saône or Margat, and no similar features existed in other Crusader castles. However, they resembled Muslim defenses, such as those at the Citadel of Aleppo. It is unclear which side copied the other, but this shows how military ideas spread between Muslim and Christian forces. These defenses were accessed by a path called a chemin de ronde. Historian Hugh Kennedy said the outer wall