Krak des Chevaliers

Krak des Chevaliers (Qalat al-Husn) has a history that stretches back almost one thousand years. It was originally the site of a Kurdish Castle, however the current remains date back to the time of it's Crusader occupation from 1144-1271. According to our guidebook (Footprint: Syria and Lebanon Handbook) it's "the best preserved and most impressive of the Crusader castles anywhere in the Middle East". The scale and complexity of the fortifications are astounding and it's perfectly preserved, which led TE Lawrence (Lawrence of Arabia) to describe it as "the finest castle in the world...quite marvellous".