Day 26 - Crac de Chevaliers

Today we caught a bus to Hama, and then paid a driver to take us to Crac de Chevaliers - an ancient castle that was used by the Crusaders, and Saladin in the time of the Crusades. The deep history of the place is unmistakable despite all the fairly obvious reconstruction. The castle has never been taken by force, surely in large part due to the many defensive measures that still remain; deep apses for arches that allow both a wide field of view side to side, and extending to the floor so an archer can shot downwards too. There is a long snaking walkway with many side rooms perfect for little ambushes, and of course holes in the ceiling that both allow light and an entry for boiling oil. Lastly, the castle has two defensive walls - the outer wall is the oldest.



There is a church and a small mosque, and many strangely shaped rooms built within rooms. Altogether the castle is in great shape compared to what we have seen in Turkey, but still there is the silence of all this stonework where once it was full of soldiers!