WORLD_ SYRIA_ Syrian War Damages 12th Century Castle

Syrian War Damages 12th Century Castle

The 12th century site, which was lauded by the likes of TE Lawrence, is said to have been shelled by Bashar al Assad's troops.

Sky NEWS
11:41am UK, Monday 05 May 2014




Video: Crusader Castle Damaged By Syrian Civil War


One of the world's best-preserved Crusader castles has been damaged by the civil war in Syria.

The Crac des Chevaliers, 25 miles west of Homs, has suffered damage to its walls and roof from heavy artillery and airstrikes and some of is religious artefacts have been hit by shrapnel.

The castle is listed as a Unesco World Heritage site and was a major tourist attraction in the country before the conflict began in 2011.



Heavy shelling has damaged some of the walls at the Unesco site


Last year, thousands of people from the nearby village of Hosn were forced to shelter from heavy bombardment in the castle for several weeks.

Troops loyal to President Bashar al Assad reportedly identified the Sunni-populated village as housing rebel fighters and began an armed blockade.

In March, a government offensive against opposition forces near the border in Lebanon saw airstrikes and heavy artillery hit the castle walls, causing significant damage.




Government forces bombarded a nearby village thought to contain rebels

One Syrian army officer told the Associated Press news agency: "The terrorists killed and kidnapped people and even chopped off their heads.

"We had to stop them at any cost."

Around 300 villagers and rebels were killed during the offensive, and hundreds were wounded as people fled over the border to Lebanon.

The Crac des Chevaliers was built by the Hospitaller Order of Saint John of Jerusalem between 1142 and 1271.

TE Lawrence, who completed a walking tour of Crusader castles in what was Ottoman Syria in 1909, described it as "perhaps the most wholly admirable castle in the world" before he became known as "Lawrence of Arabia".


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