Hosn Castle (Crac Des Chevaliers)   Damascus Aleppo Palmyra Crac Chevaliers The Hauran Maalula The Coast . The strategic value of this place has been known for thousands of years. This becomes even more clear when the Crusaders arrived here in 1099 and took over the fortress that was built by the Emir of Homs. In 1144, the fortress was transferred to the Knights Hospitaller. They massively expanded the existing fortress and only in 1271 the Mamelukes under Sultan Baibars succeeded in expelling the Hospitallers from the castle. As the foreign threat disappeared, the castle fell into disuse as a military strong point. Villagers settled in and remained there until evacuated in 1934. More
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