Masyaf Castle

Masyaf is the best known of the castles held by the medieval Nizari Ismailis in the coastal mountains, a compact fortress on a rock above its town, restored enough to walk its gates, halls and towers. From here the community's leaders - famous in European legend under their sheikh known as the Old Man of the Mountain - held their own against every neighbouring power through diplomacy and reputation as much as walls. The castle is a museum of that remarkable chapter, and the town below still has a strong Ismaili community.

What you actually see

• The gatehouse - the bent entrance through the outer wall.
• The halls and cisterns - the restored interior spaces.
• The towers - the wall-walk views over town and orchards.
• The mountain edge - the line of hills the castles guarded.

When to go

March to May and October to November are mild. Spring blossom fills the orchards below. Summer is manageable at this altitude.

Honest expectations

Restoration is partial and some areas are closed. Opening hours are informal. The legends attached to the place are better treated with scepticism than repeated as fact.

Nearby

Qalaat al-Kahf is deeper in the mountains, and Hama is east.