Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Krak, one of the vaulted stone stables.
In 1163 the fortress was unsuccessfully besieged, after which the Hospitallers became an
essentially independent force on the Tripolitanian frontier and by 1170 the Hospitaller's
modifications were complete.
In 1188 Saladin had a go but he was also unsuccessfull. During the siege the castellan (a
form of caretaker) was captured and taken by Saladin's men to the castle gates where he
was told to order the gates opened. He reportedly told his men in Arabic, the language of
his captors, to surrender the castle, but then told them in French to hold the castle to the last
man.
In 1217, during the Fifth Crusade, King Andrew II of Hungary strengthened the outer
walls and financed the guarding troops. In 1271 the fortress was captured by the Mameluke
Sultan Baibars with the aid of heavy catapults and mangonels. Baibars re-fortified the
castle and used it as a base, converting the Hospitaller chapel to a mosque.
