The Great Mosque

Mirza Castle, a Crusader fortress, rises like the prow of a stone ship above a mountain ridge in the far northwest of Hama. Constructed by the Franks in the early 12th century, its strategic purpose was to control a vital military pass connecting the Ghāb plain to the coast. The castle later fell into Ismaili hands in the mid-13th century.
The castle’s defenses consist of an oval wall punctuated by rectangular towers. A carved passage leads to a rock-cut cistern, designed to collect and store rainwater. Surrounded by oak trees, Mirza Castle offers commanding views over the expansive Ghāb plains.