Located on a rocky ridge in mountainous terrain near the northwestern port city of Latakia and a four-hour drive from Damascus, this UNESCO World Heritage Site was built under the Shia Muslim Hamdanid Dynasty in the mid-10th century, built up by Crusaders in 1188, and taken from them by the forces of the legendary Saladin (Salah ad-Din), for whom it was thereafter named. 

Anas al-Rifai