Safita Tower

About this place

Safita Tower is a medieval stone tower on the middle of the three hills of the town of Safita in western Syria, also called Chastel Blanc, the White Castle. The Knights Templar built it during the Crusades on earlier fortifications, and it was a key part of their network of strongholds in the area. The site was first mentioned in an Arab chronicle in 1112, and the Templars held the tower from 1152. Nur ad-Din attacked it in 1167, and it was rebuilt after the earthquakes of 1170 and 1202, until Sultan Baybars took it in 1271. On the ground floor is a church still in use today, and above it a wide vaulted hall that served as the garrison's dormitory. The tower rises as a huge rectangular block of limestone above the town's houses, with narrow windows once used by archers. From the roof the view stretches from the Mediterranean to the mountains of Lebanon, and in the past the Templar strongholds at Tartus, Arwad and Krak des Chevaliers could be seen from here. Tartus is about 22 km away in a straight line, and Krak des Chevaliers about 18 km. The church is a place of worship, so dress modestly and keep quiet. The UK Foreign Office currently advises against all travel to Syria, and British consular help is not available there, so check official guidance before making any plans.