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| Fortress of Niha | |
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| General information | |
| Type | Fort |
| Location | Niha Chouf,Lebanon |
| Completed | ~975 AD |
TheFortress of Niha (also calledCave of Tyron in Frankish sources andChquif Tayroun in Arabic sources) is an ancient fortress inLebanon, first mentioned in historical records in 975 AD. It is located in the municipality ofNiha Chouf inLebanon, and is today visited as cultural heritage in theShouf Cedar Nature Reserve.
Carved into the rock of a cliff overlooking the Bisri and 'Aray valley, the Fortress of Niha overlooks the road betweenSidon and theBeqaa valley. It was first mentioned in 975 AD and then again in 1133. Control over the fortress alternated between theCrusaders and local Muslims until its destruction in 1261. In 1270, theMamluk leaderBaibars ordered it rebuilt. In 1585, the Emir Qorqomaz Maan probably took refuge in it briefly before his death. It is alleged[by whom?] that the EmirFakhr-al-Din II also found refuge there before he was executed by the Pasha of Damascus in 1635, but it might more probably have been his father Emir Korkomaz, in 1584.[1]
Shaped like a cave over a hundred meters deep, the fortress features chambers and rooms which were excavated in order to shelter soldiers and as depots for domestic work.[citation needed]
33°34′47″N35°36′32″E / 33.57978318°N 35.60890259°E /33.57978318; 35.60890259