Krak (also Crac) des Chevaliers (mod. Qal‘at al-Hisn or Hisn al-Akrād, Syria) was a castle on a mountain spur on the eastern frontier of the county of Tripoli, overlooking the fertile plains around the Muslim city of Homs (mod. Hims, Syriat).
In 1144 Count Raymond II of Tripoli gave the site and most of the surrounding land to the Order of the Hospital. In the second half of the twelfth century, the Hospitallers built an enclosure castle on the spur. The curtain wall was strengthened by square mural towers, and there were halls for communal living along the inside of the enceinte and a simple early gothic chapel. This castle was strong enough to dissuade Saladin from attacking it in 1180 and again in 1188.
After being damaged by an earthquake in 1202, the castle was substantially rebuilt. An outer line of walls was constructed and the inner enceinte enclosed by new walls and a great sloping glacis. These new walls were defended by large round towers, all constructed in the fine limestone ashlar that is one of the glories of the castle.
The first half of the thirteenth century were the glory days of Krak. The garrison probably numbered about 2,000, of whom only a small number (perhaps 50) were Hospitaller knight brethren. From the safety of the castle, they led raids to extort tribute from the surrounding Muslim areas. Distinguished foreign visitors, such as King Andrew II of Hungary in 1218, were persuaded to make donations.
After 1260 the growing power of the Mamlûks meant that tribute gathering became much more difficult. In March 1271 Sultan Baybars arrived with a large army. Siege engines and undermining resulted in the collapse of the outer wall on the south side where the spur was attached to the main hill. On 8 April the garrison surrendered and was allowed to leave for the coast.