Sahyun Castle (Arabic:قلعة صهيون,romanized: Qalʿat Ṣahyūn,lit. 'Zion Castle'), also known as theCastle of Saladin (Arabic:قلعة صلاح الدين,romanized: Qalʿat Ṣalāḥ al-Dīn), is a medieval castle in northwesternSyria. It is located 7 km east ofAl-Haffah town and 30 km east of the city ofLatakia, in high mountainous terrain on a ridge between two deep ravines andsurrounded by forest, the site has been fortified since at least the mid 10th century. In 975 theByzantine EmperorJohn I Tzimiskes captured the site and it remained under Byzantine control until around 1108. Early in the 12th century theFranks assumed control of the site and it was part of the newly formedCrusader state of thePrincipality of Antioch. The Crusaders undertook an extensive building programme, giving the castle much of its current appearance. In 1188 it fell to the forces ofSaladin after a three-day siege.^[1] The castle was again besieged in 1287, this time both defender and belligerent were Mamluks. In 2006, the castles of Qal'at Salah El-Din and Krak des Chevaliers were recognised as aWorld Heritage Site byUNESCO. The site is owned by theSyrian government.

Sahyun Castle
قلعة صهيون
NearAl-Haffah,Latakia Governorate,Syria
The southbastion withdonjons
Site information
Type	Castle
Owner	Syrian government
Open to the public	Yes
Condition	Partially ruined
Location
Sahyun Castle
Coordinates	35°35′45″N36°03′26″E / 35.595833°N 36.057222°E /35.595833; 36.057222
Site history
Materials	Limestone
UNESCO World Heritage Site
Type	Cultural
Criteria	ii, vi
Designated	2006(30th session)
Part of	Crac des Chevaliers and Qal’at Salah El-Din
Reference no.	1229
Region	Arab States

The castle is located roughly 25 kilometers (16 mi) northeast ofLatakia.^[2] The castle is close to the town ofal-Haffah.^[2] The traditional name of the site isṢahyūn, theArabic equivalent ofZion. This, according to historianHugh N. Kennedy, is why it has now been given the more politically correct title ofQalʿat Ṣalāḥ al-Dīn, meaning "Saladin's Castle".^[3] TheByzantines referred to it asSigon and their Frankish successors called itSaône.^[2]

The site has been fortified since at least the mid-10th century, and its first known occupant was a dependent of theAleppo-basedHamdanid emir,Sayf al-Dawla.^[4] The Byzantine emperorJohn I Tzimiskes captured Sahyun in 975 from its Hamdanid ruler,^[4] and it remained under Byzantine control until around 1108 when theCrusaders took control of Latakia, at which point it is likely they also took possession of Sahyun.^[5] It was part of thePrincipality of Antioch, one of the fourCrusader states established after theFirst Crusade. The lords of Sahyun were among the most powerful in Antioch. The first lord of Sahyun was probablyRobert the Leper,^[5] who is recorded in control of it since at least 1119.^[4] Sahyun remained in his family until 1188. It was most likely Robert or his son,William of Zardana, who built the Crusader castle around the previous Byzantine fortifications.^[5] Most of what is evident today was built at this time. The fortress was notable as being one of the few which were not entrusted to the major military orders of theHospitaller and theTemplars.

On 27 July 1188, theAyyubid sultanSaladin and his son,az-Zahir Ghazi, arrived at Sahyun with an army andlaid siege to the castle. The Muslim forces adopted two positions outside the castle: Saladin established himself with hissiege engines on the plateau opposite the castle's east side while his son was set up facing the north of the castle's lower enclosure. Stones weighing between 50 and 300 kilograms (110 and 660 lb) hurled at the castle for two days, causing significant damage. On 29 July, the order to attack was given. Az-Zahir assaulted the castle town adjoining the castle's west, and the inhabitants sought refuge in the castle. The castle and town were supposed to be separated by a ditch, however at the north end the digging remained unfinished. Exploiting this, Az-Zahir successfully stormed the castle walls. The inner courtyard was overrun and the garrison retreated to thedonjon or keep. Before the day ended they agreed terms with their attackers and were allowed to ransom themselves. Though Sahyun was a strong castle, it fell in just three days. Kennedy speculates that, despite being well-provisioned, the fortress may have surrendered been because its garrison was not large enough or possessed siege engines.^[6]

Saladin granted Sahyun andBourzey to one of hisemirs, Mankawar^[7] (also known as "Mankurus ibn Khumartigin").^[4] The pair descended through the latter's heirs until 1272 when Sahyun was given to theMamluk sultanBaibars.^[4][7] Some time in the 1280s, the dissident Mamluk emirSunqur al-Ashqar used the castle for refuge from SultanQalawun.^[4] Under Sunqur, the castle became the administrative center of a small semi-independent emirate.^[7] In late 1286 and early 1287, Qalawun set out to repress his rivals which including curtailing Sunqur's independence. To this end the sultan sent an army under the command of Turuntay to establish a siege at Sahyun. Turuntay sent a message to Sunqur, saying that if he surrendered the sultan would pardon him; Sunqur refused and so the siege began. It soon became apparent that Sunqur's men could not hold the castle, and so in April he surrendered.^[8]

Afterward, Sahyun was made part of the province ofTripoli.^[7] The castle remained significant and prosperous under the Mamluks until at least the late 14th century.^[4] The emir ofHama,Abu'l-Fida (r. 1273–1331), noted that a town was established adjacent to Sahyun. In later decades, however, Sahyun was abandoned.^[4]

After the Ottoman conquest in Syria, Sahyun became an Ottoman fortress. A 16th century Chinese text's description of a "city with two walls" between Tartus and Aleppo seems to match the citadel Sahyun.^[9]

In early 20th century,T. E. Lawrence visited the castle, and describe it as "the most sensational thing in castle building I have ever seen."^[10]

The citadel was made aWorld Heritage Site byUNESCO, along withKrak des Chevaliers, in 2006.^[11] During theSyrian Revolution which began in 2011 UNESCO voiced concerns that the conflict might lead to the damage of important cultural sites such as Citadel of Salah Ed-Din.^[12] As of 2016 the castle survived the Syrian Civil War without any significant damage. In 2023, one of the fortified towers was destroyed during theFebruary earthquake.^[13]

Sahyun was built on a ridge some 700 metres (2,300 ft) long between two deep gorges.^[5] It guarded the route between Latakia and the city of Antioch.^[14] The spur on which the castle is built is connected to a plateau in the east. The Byzantines defended the site by building a wall across the east side of the ridge. The walls created an irregular enclosure and were studded with flanking towers. Adjacent to the fortification, at the eastern end of the ridge was a settlement.^[5] One of the most magnificent features of the fortress is the 28 m deep ditch, which was cut intoliving rock. The creation of the ditch has been attributed to the Byzantines.^[15] This ditch, which runs 156 meters along the east side, is 14 to 20 meters wide and has a lonely 28 m high needle to support the drawbridge.

The entrance to the castle is through an entrance on the south side of the fortress. On the right of the entrance is a tower, a bastion built by the Crusaders. There is another a few meters further. There is a cistern for water storage and some stables just next to a massive keep that overlooks the ditch. This keep has walls of 5 m thick and it covers an area of nearly 24 m². Further on to the north is the gate where the drawbridge used to be. Also evident are the Byzantine citadel, located at the center of the fortress, another large cistern, the Crusader tea house, and a Crusader church adjoining one of two Byzantine chapels. As for the Arab additions to the fortress, they include a mosque, which dates back to Qalawun's reign, and a palace, which includes baths with courtyards andiwans. This has been slightly restored.

• List of Crusader castles
• World Heritage Sites in Danger

• UNESCO Qal’at Salah El-Din