An article by Alexei Kozlenko from the WARSPOT website, dated September 10, 2018.
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Markab Castle (Frankish name: Margat) stands atop the flat summit of Mount Nsariye, which overlooks the Mediterranean coast between the cities of Baniyas and Tartus in Syria. Built during the era of the Crusades, the castle witnessed the wars and sieges that raged in the Middle East at that time. Its ruins, silent witnesses to these events, have survived to this day.
In its new interactive project, Warspot presents a historical reconstruction of Markab Castle and shows what its ruins look like today.
The History of the Castle
The original fortress at this strategically defensible location was built by the Muslims in 1062. At the beginning of the Crusades, it was held by the Byzantines, and in 1118, the castle fell into the hands of Prince Tancred, regent of Antioch. He granted Markab to his vassals, the Mazor family. In 1140, Reynald II, the head of the family, decided to rebuild the castle, but was unable to reconcile his ambitious plans with his actual income. The construction drained the family’s entire fortune, and in 1186, his son Bertrand transferred the castle to the Order of the Hospitallers in exchange for an annual rent of 2,000 gold Byzantine coins. The knights of the Order, with far greater financial resources at their disposal, completed the construction that had been begun. Under their rule, the castle took on its present appearance. The fortress’s garrison numbered up to a thousand men and was capable of withstanding a prolonged siege.
View of the castle from the west
Markab’s fortifications were so impressive that Saladin, who had defeated the Crusader forces at Hattin in 1187, passed the castle by, deeming it impregnable. For over a hundred years, the citadel allowed the Hospitallers to control the region and reap substantial profits from travelers and pilgrims. All attempts by the Muslims to attack Markab were unsuccessful. Even Sultan Baybars, the famous conqueror of Krak des Chevaliers, was forced to retreat from the walls of Markab in 1267, concluding a ten-year truce with the Knights Hospitaller. When the truce expired, Baybars’ successor, Sultan Qalawun al-Mansur, decided to finally deal decisively with the Crusaders.
On April 25, 1285, he appeared before the fortress walls with a massive army and siege engines. Despite the attackers’ bravery, the fortress walls remained impregnable. For forty days, the Hospitallers repelled one assault after another. Then Qalawun had a tunnel dug under the Tour d’Éperon (Spur Tower), removed the soil from beneath its foundation, and filled the space with flammable materials. Before setting fire to the brushwood beneath the tower, he once again appealed to the Hospitallers to surrender, demonstrating the completed tunnel to them for greater persuasiveness. This time, the knights agreed to surrender the castle on the condition of a safe retreat. On May 23, the last 25 knights, taking their horses and belongings, left the castle for Arvad and then sailed to Cyprus. Thus ended the Crusaders’ rule in the Middle East.
View of the castle from the northwest
Kalaun did not destroy the fortress. Recognizing its strategic importance, the sultan reinforced Markab and stationed a garrison of one thousand soldiers there. The fortress retained its importance during the Mamluk period in the 15th–16th centuries, and under the Ottomans, it served as the residence of the district’s military governor and a prison for the most dangerous criminals. When the residence was moved to Banias in 1884, the castle gradually fell into disrepair.
Castle Floor Plan
Layout and Shape of the Castle
The shape of the castle was determined by the terrain. The hilltop on which it was built is triangular in shape, with its base facing north and its pointed apex facing south.
On the western side, facing the sea, the hill rises gently. This is where the entrance to the castle is located, along with its most formidable fortifications—two rows of walls rising one behind the other, with rectangular and cylindrical towers projecting from them
On the eastern side, the hilltop has virtually sheer slopes. The castle walls here are lower than in other parts of the fortifications, but they remain completely impregnable
Finally, on the northern side there is a narrow isthmus connecting the hill to a neighboring peak, which is also surrounded by a double row of walls
Internal Structure of a Lock
The castle consists of two parts: a heavily fortified citadel in the southern part of the plateau and an outer section of fortifications adjoining it to the north, where a large settlement once stood. The two parts were separated by a moat filled with water, hewn into the rock, and a fortress wall with special gates.
To the north and west, the castle is surrounded by a double ring of walls. In the northwest corner, facing the sea, stands a massive round tower 25 meters in diameter. Loopholes are visible on the lower level, as well as one large embrasure for a large siege engine. In its current form, it was built by Mamluk builders, who reinforced the structure that had previously stood here from the Crusader period.
Dungeon
Although the southwestern side of the castle was impregnable due to the nearly sheer mountain slope, it was considered the most dangerous direction during the time of the Hospitallers. It was here that the most powerful fortifications were located: a massive cylindrical keep and the semicircular tower of the first wall belt that protected it.
This tower, known to the Crusaders as the Tour d’Éperon (Tower of the Spur), stands on a solid rocky foundation. Its upper part was severely damaged in 1285, during the last siege, and was subsequently restored. Clearly visible is a band of white marble encircling the tower, engraved with Arabic script recounting the exploits of the fortress’s conqueror, Sultan Qalawun.
The enormous round keep, which the Hospitallers built on the south side of the castle, has a diameter of 22 m and a height of 24 m. This tower resembles similar fortifications found in Western European castles, although its proportions make it appear more squat. It is possible that the builders chose not to increase the tower’s height due to the threat of earthquakes. The interior is heavily damaged, but the rows of arrowslits indicate that the tower was once three stories tall.
On the eastern side of the citadel is a vast gallery consisting of several interconnected halls. Most of these rooms served as storage areas and barracks, while some housed stables. Running along the top of the gallery is a vast terrace, apparently intended for the installation of catapults.
Courtyard
The castle’s inner courtyard is surrounded by service buildings, warehouses, stables, kitchens, and barracks. A large two-story building on the west side housed the “administrative offices” of the Hospitallers. This is where the archives and library were located. Only parts of the interior have survived. The well in the middle of the courtyard serves as a reminder that there is a huge underground cistern for storing water.
The most striking building in the inner courtyard is a chapel with a simple cubic shape. Like all the castle’s structures, the chapel’s walls are built of well-hewn basalt blocks. Against this backdrop, the western entrance portal, built of white limestone, stands out. An identical portal, though better preserved, frames the door on the chapel’s northern facade.
Inside, the chapel consists of a spacious single-nave hall that ends in a semicircular apse. In the center of the apse is a deep arched window that illuminated the entire space.
During the ongoing restoration work at the castle, frescoes depicting saints and knights were discovered on the wall of one of the sacristies. Archaeologists believe the frescoes date to the early 13th century. The Muslims who drove out the Crusaders converted the chapel into a mosque. The frescoes were not destroyed in the process—they were simply covered with plaster.
Between the chapel and the massive keep lies another small triangular courtyard. One side of it is formed by a large two-story building, beneath which lies yet another cistern. On the other side of the triangle is the Great Hall—the site of military councils and knights’ celebrations. Unlike the similar hall at Crac des Chevaliers, this one has survived to the present day in a severely ruined state. Attached to the end of the hall is a building with a separate entrance—the commandant’s quarters. Under Muslim rule, this place was called Divan al-Malik, meaning “the King’s Chamber.” From the three windows facing west, there is a magnificent view of the sea.
Entrance to the castle’s citadel
The main entrance to the castle is now on the west side. Access to it was guarded by a rectangular tower. Machicolations were mounted above the archway. There was a grille above the entrance, the presence of which is evidenced by vertical grooves carved into the side piers.
You can enter the castle via a staircase leading from below to the bridge, which was built after the Crusaders had left. After passing through the gate, we enter a spacious vestibule, from which a passage leads straight to the outer fortifications in the northern part of Markaba, and to the right—into the citadel.
During the Crusaders’ time, the entrance to the castle was located in the southwestern part of the castle, where a rectangular tower still stands today; at that time, it served as a gatehouse. Passing under its arches, visitors entered a narrow space between two walls, ascending this path to the vestibule of the present-day gate tower. From there, the path turned and ran in the opposite direction, eventually leading to the citadel’s inner courtyard.
Such a complex system was designed to make it as difficult as possible for the enemy to gain access to the citadel. Even if the enemy managed to breach the castle’s outer wall, they could only get inside by passing along the base of the inner wall, under the arrows and spears of its defenders.
