Mahalibeh Castle

Mahalibeh castle (Arabic: قلعة المهالبة‎) is located at a high mountain summit near Lattakia, 40 km east of Syrian coast.

View of Mahalibeh Castle

History

First, the castle was built by Bani Alahmar tribe in the 11th century, then it was occupied by Byzantine empire in 1031, followed by the Crusaders led by Roger of Salerno in 1118. The castle suffered many fights and damages, and finally surrendered to Saladdin in 1188, namely to his son Alzaher Alghazi in 1194. It was later restored by Baibars in 1269, then it was controlled by Sunqur al-Ashqar in 1280, before it was retaken by Qalawun in 1285.[1] The castle was hit by a strong earthquake in 1408, in which it was considerably damaged and abandoned.

The castle is damaged totally and is being restored now. The outer walls are surrounding the bulk massive of the castle; there are cisterns, underground rooms and remnants of premises in the middle, plus are visible some arches and towers. The only attaching section to the surrounding land is through southern piece of connecting lane, where the road goes.[2]

The castle is reached through paved road via Qardaha from west and Jawbat Burghal from east.

References
  1. قلعة المهالبة التاريخية بحلة جديدة. nouhworld.com (in Arabic).
  2. قلعة “المهالبة”.. تحفة أثرية في اللاذقية. SANA (in Arabic). 16 July 2018.

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