This fortress was erect­ed on a hill 30 km from Latakia. The lime­stone citadel, sur­round­ed by deep ravines and forests, was built at the begin­ning of the 10th cen­tu­ry. Soon it was cap­tured by the Byzan­tine king John I Tzimisces in order to con­trol the neigh­bor­ing ter­ri­to­ry. The fortress changed hands more than once and grad­u­al­ly fell into dis­re­pair. To this day, round Byzan­tine tow­ers, a small chapel, walls and pow­er­ful for­ti­fi­ca­tions of the Cru­saders have been pre­served.