Damascus #1 - Krak des Chevaliers (Castle of the Knights)

I rode to the mountains of Syria,  passing signs along the way for turn off to Baghdad, Beirut or Amman . It was cold, incredibly cold especially if you do not dress for snow and rain.  On the way, I wondered if it was really such a good idea but , when I got there,  I knew it was a great idea,  no matter how much my teeth were chattering.

Attackers did not have many options to conquer the castle. However,  they chose the south side for its lower  elevation

The Castle of the Knights was one of seven castles the Crusaders built to help them conquer Jerusalem and to control the passages from the Lebanese coast and the mountain passes the Muslim warriors could use to attack or to reinforce troops. This castle controlled the mountain passes and offered a panoramic view of the area.



View of the surrounding area



The original castle was small built by the Kurds in 1030.  Raymond of Tolouse led a Crusader force into the area and like all such army his was short on supplies food  and always hungry.  The Kurds let all their sheep run from the castle and , as predicted, the knights chased the sheep. While they were doing that, the Kurds charged the Crusaders.  Raymond who had not intended to capture the castle  did so in  January 1099 out of anger over the Kurds' trick. Jerusalem fell in July of 1099 



The outer wall

 Over the years the castle was strengthen and reinforced.

The castle rests on a hill.  It is a castle within a castle.  If attackers breached the outer walls by crossing a moat and  getting through massive gates and  100 foot thick walls , they were faced with the daunting challenge of crossing another moat and then climbing  80 feet up to the top of the inner wall, dodging boiling oil poured down by the  defenders.    



The inner wall



Here another Raymond visits the castel and sits at the round table where senior knights would sit during meals and entertainment.



The grounds of the inner castle

 Another great Raymond, known as Raymond the II of Tripoli, gave the castle to the Knights of the Hospitaliers in 1144. The Knights of the Hospitaliers, along with the  Knights Templars ,were known as warrior monks.  The Hospitaliers held the castle until 1271 when it was conquered by the Marmulak (Egyptian ) king,  Beybar.  The castle had held as many as 2000 knights at the beginning of the Crusades(There were eight such ventures) but by 1271 the knights numbered less than 200.  Perhaps the Pope's assurance that anyone who died fighting for Jerusalem would go straight to heaven lost its appeal when men noticed the fine print that said "died fighting", accidents and illness did not count. Also, later crusades did not always focus on Jerusalem.

The Trick
Just like the castle was first conquered  because of a trick  - the old sheep trick - the castle was lost due to a trick.  The castle had been under siege by 20,000 Muslim warriors for three months but it was hard going and it was going to take many more months.  The attackers came up with a clever idea and forged a letter from the Grand Master of the Hospitaliers and attached it to a carrier pigeon.  The letter told the 200 knights that they had no hope and should surrender immediately.  It worked ! They were allowed to leave unharmed and to make their way to the coast.