Castle Located near the village of Akkar al-Atiqa (Old Akkar), the hour's hike to the castle begins at a bridge over a little river, just where the road climbs steeply to the village of Akkar al-Atiqa. The castle stands on a narrow spur at 694 meters but the best view is from the village itself - just follow the road over the bridge.
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Probably
built
in
the
late
10th
century
A.D.
by
Mouhriz
Ibn
Akkar,
the
castle
was
taken
by
the
Crusaders
in
the
12th
century
and
reconquered
in
1271
by
the
Mamluke
Sultan
Baibars.
During
the
Ottoman
period,
it
belonged
to
the
feudal
family
if
the
Banu
Sayfa,
then
around
1620
it
was
partially
destroyed
by
Emir
Fakhreddine
II. Although the castle is in ruins, you can recognize two courts separated by a sort of ditch and surrounded by five rectangular towers. The higher court contains a vaulted cistern. The main tower at the southern end, which is still in fairly good condition, is decorated with a frieze of lions carved during restoration work carried out by Sultan Baïbars. From here there is also a splendid view of the surrounding area. |
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