The Citadel Tour

The Aleppo Citadel:

50 m above the city, a ring of crenellated walls and towers rises from a steep glacis, encircling a mass of ruins from every period. It has always been extremely important, both strategically and militarily. It was built in the days of Sayf al-Dawla al-Hamadani, on the remains of earlier civilizations.

The citadel's fortified entrance is a marvelous example of Arab military architecture. On the north and south sides, great towers rise above the moat. This moat, 20 m deep and 30 m wide, emphasizes the fortress's proud isolation.

The main parts of the citadel are the throne room, the bathroom, the small mosque (Ibrahim's mosque), and the great mosque built in 1213, whose square minaret is 21 m high and from which a splendid view can be seen. Inside the citadel there is a small museum that contains relics uncovered during restoration and reconstruction.

Saint Simon Citadel:

This citadel is 60 km north-west of Aleppo. It was named after the hermit Saint Simon (Sam'an). Following Saint Simon's death in 459, the Emperor Zenon ordered that a cathedral must be built where the saint used to pray.

The layout was original, centering on the famous column from which Saint Simon used to preach. Four basilicas which are arranged in the shape of a cross open into an octagon covered by a dome and are in the centre of which stood the holy column. It is a beautiful church built on the ridge of the hill where Saint Simon had taken up "residence". Simplicity and harmony combine to make the ruins of the Basilica of St. Simon (an earthquake destroyed parts of the church less than half a century after it had been built) a masterpiece of pre-Islamic art in Syria.

In the tenth century, some towers and walls were erected. It was then called "Qal'at Sam'an" (Simon's Citadel). It became the centre of conflict between Byzantium and the Hamadani kingdom; in 986, the son of Sayf al-Dawla al-Hamadani finally captured it.

The Citadel Qal'at Al Hosn (Crac Des Chevaliers):

It was built in order to control the so-called "Homs Gap", the gateway to Syria. It was through this passage that Syria communicated with the Mediterranean. In ancient times the importance of this strategic corridor was immense. It was of crucial importance to the Crusaders and other foreign invaders in their conquest of the coast.

Conflict over the Crac des Chevaliers continued through the ages. It was a fierce and bloody dispute, but in the end, Sultan Beybars managed to recover it in 1271 through a military trick and one month of fighting. Crac des Chevaliers was built on the site of a former castle erected by the emirs of Homs to accommodate Kurdish garrisons; "Crac" is a modification of the Arab word "Qal'a".

The citadel covers an area of 3000 square meters and has 13 huge towers, in addition to many stores, tanks, corridors, bridges and stables. It can accommodate 5000 soldiers with their horses, equipment and provisions for five years.

- Aleppo Citadel

- St. Simon Citadel

- Crac des Chevaliers