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Krak des Chevaliers

Type Object Region Levant Time c. 1031–1271

Krak des Chevaliers (Homs Castle) in the mountains of Homs Governorate, Syria, is one of the finest examples of Crusader-era castle fortification;…

Timeline

  1. c. 1031–1142Homs mountain · SyriaThe castle was originally a fortress of a local Kurdish authority, changed hands several times after the First Crusade, and in 1142 Raymond II granted Homs Castle to the Knights Hospitaller, making it the core of their Syrian province.
  2. c. 1144–1170Krak des Chevaliers · SyriaThe Knights Hospitaller added an outer wall ring, bastions, and a ditch system, with halls, a church, and storerooms inside, enabling self-sufficiency during long sieges and forming a strategic stronghold commanding the Homs pass.
  3. c. 1175–1180Krak des Chevaliers · SyriaAround 1175 Krak des Chevaliers garrisoned some two to four thousand defenders, forming with nearby Margat and border outposts a defense-in-depth network, a key example for studying Crusader concentric castle design and supply systems.
  4. 1271Krak des Chevaliers · SyriaSultan Baybars took the castle by combining siege and negotiation; the Knights Hospitaller withdrew, ending Crusader military control of the fortress, and the structure was later incorporated into Mamluk and Ottoman defense systems.

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