Masyaf Castle () is a medieval structure in the town of Masyaf in Hama Governorate,

Syria Syria, officially the Syrian Arab Republic, is a country in West Asia located in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Levant. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Turkey to Syria–Turkey border, the north, Iraq to Iraq–Syria border, t ...

, situated in the Orontes Valley, approximately 40 kilometres to the west of Hama. It served to protect the approach to other Ismaili castles in the Syrian Coastal Mountain Range (Jabal Ansariya) at a site controlling the trade routes to cities further inland such as Banyas. The castle itself stands on a platform about 20 metres above the surrounding plain. It became famous as the stronghold from which Rashid ad-Din Sinan, known as the Old Man of the Mountain, ruled from 1166-1193. He was a leader of the Syrian branch of the Shia Nizari

Isma'ili Ismailism () is a branch of Shia Islam. The Isma'ili () get their name from their acceptance of Imam Isma'il ibn Jafar as the appointed spiritual successor (Imamate in Nizari doctrine, imām) to Ja'far al-Sadiq, wherein they differ from the ...

sect, also known as the Assassins, and a figure in the history of the

Crusades 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 t ...

History

Evidence suggests that the lower layers and foundations of the castle are of Byzantine origin. Later levels were added by the Isma'ilis, Mamluks, and

Ottomans Ottoman may refer to: * Osman I, historically known in English as "Ottoman I", founder of the Ottoman Empire * Osman II, historically known in English as "Ottoman II" * Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empir ...

, with most of the current remains dating back to Rashid and the Nizari construction phase of the 12th century. The castle was captured by the Assassins in 1141 from Sanqur, who had held it on behalf of the Banu Munqidh of

Shaizar Shaizar or Shayzar (; in modern Arabic Saijar; Hellenistic name: Larissa in Syria, Λάρισσα εν Συρία in Greek language, Greek) is a town in northern Syria, administratively part of the Hama Governorate, located northwest of Hama. Near ...

, and was later refortified by Rashid al-Din Sinan. Masyaf and the surrounding town functioned as the capital of a Nizari

emirate An emirate is a territory ruled by an emir, a title used by monarchs or high officeholders in the Muslim world. From a historical point of view, an emirate is a political-religious unit smaller than a caliphate. It can be considered equivalent ...

from the middle of the 12th century until the end of the 13th century.

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 ...

besieged it in May 1176, but the siege did not last long and it concluded with a truce. Current research indicates it was held by the Nizari Isma'ilis at that time. When the Crusaders were attempting to recapture

Jerusalem Jerusalem is a city in the Southern Levant, on a plateau in the Judaean Mountains between the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean and the Dead Sea. It is one of the List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest cities in the world, and ...

through the

Third Crusade The Third Crusade (1189–1192) was an attempt led by King Philip II of France, King Richard I of England and Emperor Frederick Barbarossa to reconquer the Holy Land following the capture of Jerusalem by the Ayyubid sultan Saladin in 1187. F ...

, there was an attack on the headquarters of the Syrian Assassins, Masyaf, by the

Knights Templar The Poor Fellow-Soldiers of Christ and of the Temple of Solomon, mainly known as the Knights Templar, was a Military order (religious society), military order of the Catholic Church, Catholic faith, and one of the most important military ord ...

. Rashid was kidnapped on the orders of a rival chief nicknamed Haras the Crusader, but he was rescued and his captor murdered. In 1260, Masyaf and three other Nizari fortresses were surrendered to the Mongols. Later that year in September, the Nizaris allied with the victorious Mamluks to drive the Mongols out from Syria, reclaiming four of their castles, including Masyaf. After a decade, in February 1270, Mamluk sultan Baibars took hold of the castle. In 1808, the Nusayris (Alawites) murdered the Ismaili emir of Masyaf and seized the castle, but the Ismailis managed to recover it with the help of the Ottoman authorities. During the 1830s, the troops of the Egyptian governor, Ibrahim Pasha, caused serious damage to the castle. Restoration funded by the Aga Khan Trust for Culture Historic Cities Support Programme began in 2000.

References

{{coord, 35.06624, N, 36.34329, E, source:wikidata, display=title Aga Khan Trust for Culture projects Castles in Syria Buildings and structures in Hama Governorate Castles of the Nizari Ismaili state Order of Assassins

History

See also

References