Mahalibeh Castle (), formerly known as Balatanos or Balatunus (name derived from the Latin ''Platanus''), is located on a high mountain summit near

Lattakia Latakia (; ; Syrian pronunciation: ) is the principal port city of Syria and capital city of the Latakia Governorate located on the Mediterranean coast. Historically, it has also been known as Laodicea in Syria or Laodicea ad Mare. In addition ...

, 40 km inland of the Syrian coast. The Mahalibeh Castle is also an inhabited place, administratively part of the

Jawbat Burghal Jawbat Burghal () is a town in northwestern Syria, administratively part of the Latakia Governorate, located east of Latakia in an-Nusayriyah Mountains. Nearby localities include Qardaha, al-Fakhurah, Istamo and Shatha. According to the Syria C ...

subdistrict of the

Qardaha District Qardaha District () is a district of the Latakia Governorate in northwestern Syria. Administrative centre An administrative centre is a seat of regional administration or local government, or a county town, or the place where the central admin ...

Latakia Governorate Latakia Governorate ( / ALA-LC: ''Muḥāfaẓat al-Lādhiqīyah''), also transliterated as Ladhakia, is one of the 14 Governorates of Syria, governorates of Syria. It is situated in northwestern Syria, bordering Turkey's Hatay Province to the no ...

. According to the Syria Central Bureau of Statistics, it had a population of 772 in the 2004 census.General Census of Population and Housing 2004

History

The castle was built in the 11th century by the princely Banu'l-Ahmar family. In 1031, the tribe surrendered it to

Niketas of Mistheia Niketas of Mistheia was a Byzantine official, originally from Mistheia, and '' doux'' of Antioch (1030–1032). He was an eunuch who held the titles of ''patrikios'' and '' rhaiktor''. Career In 1030, Byzantine Emperor Romanos III Argyros appoint ...

of the

Byzantine Empire The Byzantine Empire, also known as the Eastern Roman Empire, was the continuation of the Roman Empire centred on Constantinople during late antiquity and the Middle Ages. Having survived History of the Roman Empire, the events that caused the ...

. In 1118, it was occupied by the

Crusaders The Crusades were a series of religious wars initiated, supported, and at times directed by the Papacy during the Middle Ages. The most prominent of these were the campaigns to the Holy Land aimed at reclaiming Jerusalem and its surrounding ...

, led by

Roger of Salerno Roger of Salerno (or Roger of the Principate) ( 1080 – June 28, 1119) was regent of the Principality of Antioch from 1112 to 1119. He was the son of Richard of the Principate and the 2nd cousin of Tancred, Prince of Galilee, both participants o ...

. The castle suffered many clashes and damages, and finally surrendered to

Saladin Salah ad-Din Yusuf ibn Ayyub ( – 4 March 1193), commonly known as Saladin, was the founder of the Ayyubid dynasty. Hailing from a Kurdish family, he was the first sultan of both Egypt and Syria. An important figure of the Third Crusade, h ...

in 1188, namely to his son al-Zahir Ghazi, in 1194. In 1269, it was restored by the

Mamluk Mamluk or Mamaluk (; (singular), , ''mamālīk'' (plural); translated as "one who is owned", meaning "slave") were non-Arab, ethnically diverse (mostly Turkic, Caucasian, Eastern and Southeastern European) enslaved mercenaries, slave-so ...

sultan

Baybars Al-Malik al-Zahir Rukn al-Din Baybars al-Bunduqdari (; 1223/1228 – 1 July 1277), commonly known as Baibars or Baybars () and nicknamed Abu al-Futuh (, ), was the fourth Mamluk sultan of Egypt and Syria, of Turkic Kipchak origin, in the Ba ...

. In 1280, it was under the control of the Mamluk rebel emir

Sunqur al-Ashqar Shams al-Din Sunqur al-Ashqar al-Salihi (; –1293) was the Mamluk viceroy of Damascus in 1279–1280, who attempted to rule Syria independently, in a rebellion against the Egypt-based sultan Qalawun (). While the rebellion in Damascus was quashed ...

, before being retaken by Sultan

Qalawun (, – November 10, 1290) was the seventh Turkic Bahri Mamluk sultan of Egypt; he ruled from 1279 to 1290. He was called (, "Qalāwūn the Victorious"). After having risen in power in the Mamluk court and elite circles, Qalawun eventually hel ...

in 1285. In 1408, a strong earthquake considerably damaged the castle, and it was abandoned. Under Ottoman rule, at least during the early 17th century, the castle was used by the authorities to store grain and rice belonging to the state. By the early 18th century, the castle had become identified with the Muhalaba or (Mahalibeh), an

Alawite Alawites () are an Arabs, Arab ethnoreligious group who live primarily in the Levant region in West Asia and follow Alawism, a sect of Islam that splintered from early Shia as a ''ghulat'' branch during the ninth century. Alawites venerate A ...

tribal grouping predominant in the area, which also became referred to as the Muhalaba in Ottoman government records. The castle is substantially damaged but was being restored as of 2018. The outer walls surround the bulk massive of the castle. There are cisterns, underground rooms, and remnants of premises in the middle, plus some arches and towers are visible. The only attaching section to the surrounding land is through a southern piece of connecting lane, where the road goes. The castle is accessed through a paved road via

Qardaha Qardaha ( / ALA-LC: ''Qardāḥah'') is a town in northwestern Syria, in the mountains overlooking the coastal town of Latakia. Nearby localities include Kilmakho to the west, Bustan al-Basha to the southwest, Harf al-Musaytirah to the south ...

from the west and

from the east.

References

Bibliography

* * {{coord, 35, 30, 29, N, 36, 5, 14, E, display=title Castles in Syria Buildings and structures in Latakia Governorate Archaeological sites in Latakia Governorate

History

See also

References

Bibliography