Latakia
Salah al-Din Castle stands on a narrow forested ridge in the mountains east of Latakia. A Byzantine fortress was built here in the tenth century and the…
Salah al-Din Castle stands on a narrow forested ridge in the mountains east of Latakia. A Byzantine fortress was built here in the tenth century and the Crusaders enlarged it, until Salah al-Din took it in 584 AH (1188) after a short siege, and it now bears his name. Its most famous feature is the great ditch cut through the solid rock, with a tall stone pillar left standing to support a drawbridge. Inside the walls are remains from the Islamic period, including a mosque and a bathhouse. Together with the Fortress of the Knights it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and its setting among the green mountains is one of the most beautiful in Syria.