حماہ
Shayzar castle stands on a narrow ridge above the Orontes river north-west of Hama. In the eleventh and twelfth centuries it was the seat of the Banu Munqidh,…
Shayzar castle stands on a narrow ridge above the Orontes river north-west of Hama. In the eleventh and twelfth centuries it was the seat of the Banu Munqidh, the Arab family of the warrior-poet Usamah ibn Munqidh, whose memoirs give a vivid picture of life in the time of the Crusades. The castle was largely destroyed by an earthquake in 1157 and was rebuilt by Nur al-Din and later by the Ayyubids and Mamluks. Its ruined walls, gate and towers still overlook the river and the village below.