Masyaf Castle
قلعة مصياف
Castle on a rock in Masyaf, once the Syrian centre of the Nizari Ismailis under Rashid al-Din Sinan, restored in the early 21st century.
In Masyaf, west of Hama on the eastern slopes of the coastal mountains, Masyaf Castle crowns a high rock above the town. Fortified since antiquity, it became famous in the Middle Ages as the Syrian centre of the Nizari Ismailis.
In the 12th century the Ismaili leader Rashid al-Din Sinan — the Crusaders' "Old Man of the Mountain" — ruled a network of mountain castles from here. Saladin besieged Masyaf in 1176 and withdrew after an agreement with Sinan. The Mamluk sultan Baybars brought it under his control in the 13th century.
A fortified entrance, bent passages, towers following the rock's edge and multi-level halls reusing ancient stones define it. Restored in the early 2000s with the Aga Khan Trust for Culture, it is now one of Syria's best-restored castles, overlooking the old town and the plains towards Hama.
Note: photos may not reflect the site's current condition.
For the visitor
Location: 35.0662, 36.3433 · Open on the map
Photos
Photos: Mewes at German Wikipedia (Original text: de:Benutzer:Mewes) — via Wikimedia Commons (Public domain) · Nabih Farkouh — via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA) · Hatem keylani — via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA)
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