Iaal Fortress ( ar, قلعة إيعال), also known as Mustafa Barbar Agha Fortress ( ar, قلعة مصطفى بربر آغا), is a huge defensive castle located in Iaal in the

Zgharta District Zgharta District ( ar, زغرتا) is a district (''qadaa'') of the North Governorate, northern Lebanon. Its capital is the city of Zgharta. Geography The administrative center is the city of Zgharta. The district has 101 populated areas with 30 ...

of the

North Governorate North Governorate ( ar, الشمال, ') (Lebanese pr. ''eš šmél'') (French: Gouvernorat du Liban-Nord) is one of the governorates of Lebanon. Its capital is Tripoli. Ramzi Nohra has been its governor since May 2, 2014. The population of North ...

Lebanon Lebanon ( , ar, لُبْنَان, translit=lubnān, ), officially the Republic of Lebanon () or the Lebanese Republic, is a country in Western Asia. It is located between Syria to the north and east and Israel to the south, while Cyprus li ...

History

Built in 1816 by the Ottoman Governor of

Tripoli Tripoli or Tripolis may refer to: Cities and other geographic units Greece *Tripoli, Greece, the capital of Arcadia, Greece * Tripolis (region of Arcadia), a district in ancient Arcadia, Greece * Tripolis (Larisaia), an ancient Greek city in ...

Mustafa Agha Barbar Mustafa Agha Barbar El Korek (1767 – 28 April 1835) was an Ottoman Syrian statesman and military officer who was governor of the Ottoman province of Tripoli, ruling between 1800–08, 1810–20 and 1821-35. Name The middle word in his name, Ag ...

, it sits on a high hill overlooking a wide panoramic view. Barbar was appointed Governor of Tripoli by the Ottomans in 1798. He built his castle here because of the strategic location and perhaps also because of the sense of calm and security it provided. Even today from this hilltop, visitors can look down on olive orchards, wild gardens and a clear view of Tripoli and the

Mediterranean The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on the e ...

coast. Visitors arrive at the castle by taking a wide set of grassy steps which bring them to a front entrance guarded by a huge wooden door covered with metal studs. Within the 5,000 square meters of the castle walls are stables, wells, sleeping quarters and reservoirs. The large court has a central basin called 'birket as-sbaa' (in Arabic) or 'basin of the lions', named for the lions carved on the stone. There are also small rooms around the courtyard which served as bathrooms and bedrooms in the old days. A narrow stone staircase leads to a serial, where Barbar had his office. Nearby were the women's rooms. Unfortunately, the castle has lost most of its roof, except for the section where some of Barbar's modern descendants are now living. Behind the fortress a small graveyard holds the marble tombs of Barbar and his family. There is also a mosque and some old barracks in this part of the castle grounds. Iaal Fortress can be reached by going through

Zgharta Zgharta ( ar, زغرتا, syc, ܙܓܪܬܐ), also spelled Zghorta, is a city in North Lebanon, with an estimated population of around 50,000. It is the second biggest city in Northern Lebanon after Tripoli. Zgharta is about 150 metres above sea ...

and turning left towards the town of Khaldieh. Iaal village, with its population of about 1,000 people, is only 6 km from Zgharta.

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External links

Ehden Family Tree
{{coord, 34, 21, 44, N, 35, 54, 40, E, display=title Castles in Lebanon Tourist attractions in Lebanon Ottoman architecture in Lebanon Buildings and structures of the Ottoman Empire Ottoman fortifications Government buildings completed in 1816 Infrastructure completed in 1816 Zgharta District 1816 establishments in the Ottoman Empire

History

See also

References

External links