Margat

Margat, also known as Marqab from the Arabic Qalaat al-Marqab (قلعة المرقب, "Castle of the Watchtower") is a castle near Baniyas, Syria, which was a Crusader fortress and one of the major strongholds of the Knights Hospitaller. It is located around 2 km from the Mediterranean coast, approximately 6 km south of Baniyas. The castle had been in poor preservation until 2007, when some reconstruction and renovation started. Margat is located on a hill about 360 metres above sea level, formed by an extinct volcano on the road between Tripoli and Latakia, overlooking the Mediterranean Sea. According to Arab sources, the site of Margat Castle was first fortified in 1062 by Muslims. They continued to hold it within the Christian Principality of...