Harim Castle

Harem Castle
Harem Castle sits atop a hill rising over 300 meters, overlooking the entire Al-Ghab plain. It was originally built by the Byzantines as a watchtower, then expanded by Nur ad-Din al-Ayyubi in the 12th century. He surrounded it with a moat approximately 25 meters in diameter, which was filled with water through a canal connected to the Orontes River.

The castle’s internal tunnels extend about 500 meters, providing ventilation as well as an escape route leading to the western valley, used in times of danger.

In the summer of 1188, it was heavily besieged by Raynald of Châtillon, before being recaptured by Salah ad-Din al-Ayyubi. Later, the Mamluks added a round tower with a double masonry structure and increased the thickness of the walls to 3.5 meters.