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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. 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.
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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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Major
Cities - Akkar