Mseilha Fort

Mseilha stands on a narrow limestone outcrop rising from the floor of the Nahr al-Jawz valley, and the fort was built to fit it: the walls follow the edges of the rock exactly, so the building looks grown rather than placed. It was raised in the seventeenth century by Emir Fakhreddine II to guard the coastal route, on a site fortified earlier. The interior is small, a couple of chambers and a wall walk, reached by steps cut in the rock.

Background

The name comes from an Arabic word for a "fortified place", a diminutive of musallaha. The fort stands in the municipal area of Hamat on the right bank of the Nahr al-Jaouz, 2.5 kilometres to the northeast of Batroun, and is dated to 1624. Built of traditional sandstone masonry, it has two main parts, walls as much as two meters thick, a courtyard shaped like a triangle and arrowslits, all fitted to the rock. An earthquake in 551 CE brought down the Ras ash-Shaq'a promontory and cut the old coastal road, and the fort watches the paths that climb the valley or go around the headland. It appeared on the 25 Lebanese Lira banknote of 1964.

Source: Wikipedia, "Mseilha Fort"

What to look for

• The rock and walls - fortification built directly along the edges of a limestone spur.
• The rock-cut steps - the stair climbing from the valley floor to the gate.
• The wall walk - the parapet running round the small interior.
• The valley - the Nahr al-Jawz running below on both sides.

When to go

March to November is comfortable. Morning and late afternoon give the best light on the rock. Winter rain makes the steps slippery.

Before you go

The fort is tiny and the visit takes twenty minutes. The steps are steep and uneven with no handrail. The motorway passes close and traffic noise is constant.

Nearby

Batroun is four kilometres southwest, and Enfeh is north up the coast.

Key facts