Mahalibeh castle ( ar, قلعة المهالبة), formerly known as Balatanos or Balatunus (name derived from the Latin ''Platanus''), is located on a high mountain summit near

Lattakia , coordinates = , elevation_footnotes = , elevation_m = 11 , elevation_ft = , postal_code_type = , postal_code = , area_code = Country code: 963 City code: 41 , geocode ...

, 40 km inland of the Syrian coast.

History

The castle was built in the 11th century by the Bani Alahmar tribe. In 1031, it was occupied by

Niketas of Mistheia Niketas of Mistheia was a Byzantine official, originally from Mistheia, and '' doux'' of Antioch (1030–1032). He was an eunuch who held the titles of ''patrikios'' and ''rhaiktor''. Career In 1030, Byzantine Emperor Romanos III Argyros appointe ...

of the

Byzantine The Byzantine Empire, also referred to as the Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantium, was the continuation of the Roman Empire primarily in its eastern provinces during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, when its capital city was Constantinopl ...

empire. In 1118, it was occupied by

Crusaders The Crusades were a series of religious wars initiated, supported, and sometimes directed by the Latin Church in the medieval period. The best known of these Crusades are those to the Holy Land in the period between 1095 and 1291 that were in ...

, led by

Roger of Salerno Roger of Salerno (or Roger of the Principate) (died June 28, 1119) was regent of the Principality of Antioch from 1112 to 1119. He was the son of Richard of the Principate and the 2nd cousin of Tancred, Prince of Galilee, both participants on the ...

. The castle suffered many fights and damages, and finally surrendered to

Saladdin Yusuf ibn Ayyub ibn Shadi () ( – 4 March 1193), commonly known by the epithet Saladin,, ; ku, سه‌لاحه‌دین, ; was the founder of the Ayyubid dynasty. Hailing from an ethnic Kurdish family, he was the first of both Egypt and ...

in 1188, namely to his son

Alzaher Alghazi Al-Malik az-Zahir Ghiyath ud-din Ghazi ibn Yusuf ibn Ayyub (commonly known as az-Zahir Ghazi; 1172 – 8 October 1216) was the Ayyubid emir of Aleppo between 1186 and 1216.

in 1194. In 1269, it was restored by

Baibars Al-Malik al-Zahir Rukn al-Din Baybars al-Bunduqdari ( ar, الملك الظاهر ركن الدين بيبرس البندقداري, ''al-Malik al-Ẓāhir Rukn al-Dīn Baybars al-Bunduqdārī'') (1223/1228 – 1 July 1277), of Turkic Kipchak ...

. In 1280, it was under the control of

Sunqur al-Ashqar Shams al-Din Sunqur al-Ashqar al-Salihi ( ar, شمس الدين سنقر الأشقر الصالحي) was the Mamluk viceroy of Damascus in 1279–1280, who attempted to rule Syria independently, in a rebellion against the Egypt-based sultan Qalawun ...

, before being retaken by

Qalawun ( ar, قلاوون الصالحي, – November 10, 1290) was the seventh Bahri Mamluk sultan; he ruled Egypt from 1279 to 1290. He was called (, "Qalāwūn the Victorious"). Biography and rise to power Qalawun was a Kipchak, ancient Turkic ...

in 1285. In 1408, a strong earthquake considerably damaged the castle, and it was abandoned. The castle is damaged totally but it is being restored now. The outer walls surround the bulk massive of the castle. There are cisterns, underground rooms, and remnants of premises in the middle, plus some arches and towers are visible. The only attaching section to the surrounding land is through a southern piece of connecting lane, where the road goes. The castle is reached through paved road via

Qardaha Qardaha ( ar, القَرْدَاحَة / ALA-LC: ''Qardāḥah'') is a town in northwestern Syria, in the mountains overlooking the coastal town of Latakia. Nearby localities include Kilmakho to the west, Bustan al-Basha to the southwest, Harf a ...

from the west and Jawbat Burghal from the east.

References

Bibliography

* {{coord, 35, 30, 29, N, 36, 5, 14, E, display=title Castles in Syria Buildings and structures in Latakia Governorate Archaeological sites in Latakia Governorate