|
Krak was also used as a basis of attack against cities of the
hinterland, such as Homs and Hama. On such occasions the place resounded
with the tumult and clamours of about two thousand armed knights of
various orders, Christian, Syrian and Armenian auxiliaries, and
Turcoples, a light cavalry of Moslem mercenaries working for the Franks
under the command of a knight of the Hospital called Turcopliar.
The ideal thing is to arrive at the Krak early in the morning to see the
sunrise on these stones, more than seven centuries old, which give the
impression of a ghost ship emerging from the fog. The main entrance, on
the east side, is made in a salient of the outer wall, remarkably
restored, as well as the the rest of the castle, with its round or
square shaped towers, its bretessy salient which the Arabs altered in
the late 13th century. Before entering, take a walk around, clockwise
from the entrance. The southern side, more exposed than the others to
blows of the enemy, is defended by a strong bastion which was added late
in the 13th century by Sultan Baybars, and two other angle constructions
in the shape of a half circle, while a barbican, and advanced defense
construction, was surrounded by three moats, now filled, in the front of
the powerful Frank wall.
The western side, very regular with its beautiful curtain of a
crenellated wall-walk and buttresses, is strengthened with five round
shaped towers. The northern front includes a postern between two square
shaped towers, the external face of which was rounded in the late 13th
century by the Arabs. The main entrance is highly impressive: a wide
ramped and vaulted passage that leads to the inner enclosure wall and to
the platform between the two concentric walls. The inner wall' was
erected by the Franks before the arrival of the Knights of the Hospital,
in 1142, but most of the towers strengthening it were altered later on
(end of the 12th century), as well as some parts of the wall joining the
sides of the two neighboring bastions. This second wall, much higher,
controls all the works of the first one . Large taluses were added to
the west, south, and east, at the beginning of the 13th century to
strengthen the wall and make it more resistant to earthquakes. The
southern front was also protected by a large cistern or berqil (Birket),
excavated between the two walls. It received water by means of an
aqueduct which provided water to the garrison's horses and livestock.
Entry to the inner wall takes place by a powerful square shaped salient,
the passage ends on an esplanade under which are huge silos, stores and
reserves. To the right a Romanesque chapel, barrel-vaulted, forms a
slight protrusion on the curtain with its apse. Of its transformation
into a mosque by Baybars there remain a "minbar" or preaching chair and
three "mihrabs". Opposite the chapel on the southern front is the recess
with three powerful towers partly covered by the thick talus
strengthening the adjoining wall on this side. The least considerable of
the towers, round shaped, was used as a chamber for the Grand Master of
the order. A spiral staircase leads to a beautiful round shaped room
with a cross- ribbed vault supported by four small columns sunk into the
wall. It is connected to the middle bastion by a vast two - floored
dwelling with double bay, with Gothic vaulting. The central edifice or
keep looks from the esplanade like a rectangular salient, with large
blocks, while the outer-side is rounded. Three large, very elegant
windows look out from the two floors. The third erection, the most
impressive one, is connected to the keep by a thick and very wide massif
taking the place of an adjoining wall and forming an armed place on
which many war engines could be placed. From this bastion one dominates
a five - sided erection which was altered at the end of the 13th century
by Baybars to better control an incline giving access to the second wall
and control the platform between the two adjoining walls.
A door facing that which opens on the inner yard gives access to the big
hall, an elegant construction of the middle 13th century, which is
preceded by a portico with seven rib-vaulted bays. This gallery, with
two doors in the form of a broken arch and five twin elegant shaped
windows, forms a kind of clositor. The large hall of the knights,
communicating with a 120-meter long hall contained a well, a
round-shaped bakery, and latrines and must have been used as a dwelling
by a part of the garrison as well as for stores.
Just 6 km from the Krak des Chevaliers, you have the Convent of Saint
George, built at the time of Emperor Justinian (527-565), which has
always been inhabited by Greek Orthodox monks. The old underground
chapel contains beautiful woodworks and precious icons of the 13th
century. The new church, erected in 1857, has no particularly
interesting feature save for its treasure of numerous icons, crosses of
massive or finely chiseled silver, chalices, silks, etc...
|
|
