Krak des Chevaliers is the most imposing symbol of the crusades.
This a massive crusader fortress was built during the first crusade on a strategically important spot 40km from city of Homs, in the middle of the Syrian dessert. What made this spot so strategic was that only one route led from the city of Antioch south to Beirut and the Mediterranean, and that route passed through Homs Gap. Krack des Chevaliers sits atop the 650 meter hill which dominates the surrounding countryside and overlooks this ancient highway.
Originally a much smaller fortress built here was a domain of the Emir of Aleppo. In 1110 it was captured by Tancred, prince of Galilee and later passed on into possession of Knights Hospitallers, one of the most powerful orders of crusader knights. The greatly expanded fortress served as their base of operations in the Middle East for centuries.
Built according to the taste of its masters, Krak des Chevaliers is a typical example of Gothic architecture, uprooted from Western Europe and transferred to the Middle East. Even today, it is one of the best preserved examples of European medieval military architecture.
The fortress could accommodate a garrison of 2000 soldiers. The inner protective wall is over 3 meters thick. The inner castle is protected by seven towers, each 10 meters in diameter. The storeroom is 120 meters long and could hold supplies that would permit the defenders to survive a siege for about five years, with stables that could accommodate up to one thousand horses.
Krak des Chevaliers withstood numerous attacks by Muslim forces, even the siege by the mighty Saladin in 1188. Legend has it that Saladin managed to capture the commander of the fortress and ordered him to command the defenders to open the gates. Allegedly he did as asked, speaking in Arabic, but then commanded in French to his men to defend the castle to the last warrior.
In the very end, sheer force of arms was not enough to conquer these mighty walls. The castle fell to a cunning trick. In 1271, Baibars Mamluk, Sultan of Egypt, managed to take the fortress after sending a forged letter to the defenders in the name of their master and commander in Tripoli ordering them to surrender the castle.
After the expulsion from Syria and Levant, the never conquered (though easily duped) Hospitallers moved their headquarters to Cyprus and then to Rhodes, retreating ever westwards, until they settled on Malta where they survived until Napoleonic times. In the process, they changed their name to Knights of St. John.
Today the Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of Saint John of Jerusalem, of Rhodes, and of Malta has its headquarters in Rome. Although not territorial, the Order has the status in many ways equal to that of a sovereign nation. It maintains diplomatic relations with many nations and issues its own issues its own passports, currency, stamps and even vehicle registration plates. The Order has reverted to its humanitarian roots.
Krak des Chevaliers is on the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites.
