Syrians spruce up famed Crusader castle

People are delighted to see it come back to life after years of grinding civil war that has kept all tourists away

Homs: Clutching a small saw, Syrian volunteer Rana Jreij cut away at bushes growing up the centuries-old walls of one of the world’s most famous Crusader castles, Krak des Chevaliers. She was among dozens to clear grass, shrubs and dead trees from the UNESCO-listed fortress this week, to protect it from forest fires that have ravaged the region.

“This castle is our home. It’s our memories, and I’m scared for it,” said the 32-year-old, dressed in a white t-shirt with her hair tied back.

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The fortress was built by a medieval Catholic military order, the Knights of St John, who held it from 1142 to 1271, when it was captured by a Mamluk sultan. Sitting atop a high ridge in what is now the Homs province of modern-day Syria, it could once accommodate a garrison of 2,000 men.

“The castle closed its doors in 2012, then opened up again in 2014 but it wasn’t ready to receive visitors,” Muhartam said. Most notable was the damage to the castle’s Gothic reception hall, and its chapel.

Muhartam was ecstatic when the fortress finally welcomed sightseers back across the moat bridge into its walled interior in late 2018. “Up to 23,000 visitors came in 2019, but the corona pandemic forced it back into isolation and only 5,000 people have come this year,” she said.

“I’m happy to see life come back to the castle with hundreds of volunteers turning up, but my dream is to see cultural and touristic events return. I hope one day to again see concerts within its walls like there used to be before the war.”

At the entrance to the castle’s large reception hall, engineer Hazem Hanna gestured to some of the decorative stonework damaged in the 2012-2014 battles. “As long as the primary materials are available, we can fix them,” he said.

Hungarian archaeologists have visited to help with restoration. “The Hungarian excavation team came at the end of 2016 and helped us to restore the church’s steeple and part of the castle’s interior,” he said.

The United Nations Education, Cultural and Scientific Organisation (UNESCO) added Krak des Chevaliers to its World Heritage List in 2006, alongside Old Damascus and the ancient city of Palmyra.