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Introduction to Fort Samurai and Fort Saladin

The Fort Samurai and the Fort Saladin document the evolution of fortifications in the Near East during the Crusades (11th to 13th centuries) and best illustrate the interaction of different powers, the Order of the Knights of St. John in Jerusalem between 142 and 1271 The Samurai Fort was built, and at the end of the 13th century, the Mamluks carried out further construction.

Estate Description

The Castle of the Knights is a medieval Crusade-era castle in Syria, located in Al-Husn, Syria, in the district of Tel Kelleh, Homs province. It is one of the best preserved castles in the world. In order to retake Jerusalem, the Crusaders launched 10 crusades from 1095 to 1291 and fought against the Muslims. During this period, the high mountain area from Beirut to Antakya in Turkey formed the “castle belt”, and the knight group built many castles, of which the knight’s castle in Alhasen, Syria was the most grand and complete.

The local altitude is 2,300 feet, condescending and strategically important. The Castle of Knights was built in 1031 and can be seen in Arabic style. Later, the Knights renovated and expanded it: mainly using hard black basalt blocks as building materials, they built guard towers, inner and outer city walls, moats, churches and other Gothic buildings. The fort has complex labyrinth-like fortifications arranged in a ring to strengthen the defense function.

Saladin Castle, formerly known as Saone or Sahyoun, is located 55 kilometers east of the Mediterranean city of Latakia, built at the junction of two fast-flowing rivers, on high mountain rocks. The Saladin Castle we see today, covering an area of ​​5.5 hectares, is recognized as a model of military fortress architecture. In terms of architectural quality and the preservation of different strata, Saladin Castle is an outstanding representative of this type of fortress. , although parts of it are in ruins. The Saladin Fort retains early Byzantine architectural features of the 10th century, Frankish reconstructions of the late 12th century, and new fortifications of the Ayyubid dynasty from the late 12th to the mid-13th century.

In 2006, according to the criteria (ii)(iv) for the selection of cultural heritage, Fort Samurai and Fort Saladin, as the castles that best reflect the interaction of different forces, were approved by the UNESCO World Heritage Committee to be included in the World Heritage List as cultural heritage. “.

Evaluation by the World Heritage Committee

These two fortresses best illustrate the interplay of different powers, and they chronicle the evolution of fortifications in the Near East during the Crusades (11th to 13th centuries). Between 1142 and 1271, the Knights of St. John’s Order in Jerusalem built the Knights’ Fort, and at the end of the 13th century, the Mamluks carried out further construction. Fort Samurai is one of the best-preserved Crusade forts to date. It is typical of medieval fortresses, especially military fortresses, including eight round fortresses built by the monasteries and a square fortress built by the Mamluks later.

Likewise, the Saladin Fort is an outstanding example of this type of fort, both in terms of architectural quality and preservation of the different strata, although part of it has fallen into ruins. The Saladin Fort retains early Byzantine architectural features of the 10th century, Frankish reconstructions of the late 12th century, and new fortifications of the Ayyubid dynasty from the late 12th to the mid-13th century.