Adventures in Asia: Krak des Chevaliers, Syria

Krak des Chevaliers, the almost-one-thousand-year-old crusader castle, is about 50 kilometres west of Homs, and just north of the border with Lebanon.

Army checkpoints are ubiquitous in Syria, but the checkpoint on the approach to Krak is the only one that required us to show passports (that's Wadi International University up on the hill behind the checkpoint).

At one time Krak was one of the most visited tourist attractions in Syria, but we had it to ourselves today. 

Ten years ago, the castle was being used as a base for rebels, and the villages around it are still badly damaged. Mostly, though, the damage to the castle has been fixed up, although the welcome sign still shows signs of fighting (or, maybe more likely, target practice?).

Marie guided us through the interior of the outer wall.

In places, a moat separates the outer wall from the inner fortress.

My favourite part of Krak was getting up on the interior walls. 

You have an incredible view from up here, and you get a good sense for the castle's strategic location. 

You also get a good view of the castle's courtyard and inner buildings.

We were able to clamber through many of the large rooms inside the castle. Most are too dark to take photos in, but this is the relatively well lit great hall.

As we left a couple of village kids were outside, casually keeping an eye on their cows, who were enjoying a meal beside the castle wall!

Our driver was making coffee over a little fire he had made against the curb, and he passed cups around to us and the kids to enjoy. It was a windy day, and soon the wind tipped over the mostly-empty coffee tin and extinguished the fire.

It was time to head east and south again and back to Damascus. I found the sunset over the desert beautiful as we drove back to the capital.