Safita

Safita's white keep - the Chastel Blanc of the Templars - still crowns its hill town, one of the tallest crusader keeps left standing: sources put it between twenty-five and twenty-eight metres of pale limestone, visible for miles, with a vaulted chapel filling its ground floor that has served the town's Orthodox community for centuries. Stairs climb inside to a roof with views from the mountains to the sea. The town around it is a pleasant hill place of stone lanes and cafes.

Background

The town's Phoenician name was Sōpūte. It occupies three hilltops and the valleys that separate them in the Syrian Coastal Mountain Range, southeast of Tartus and northwest of Krak des Chevaliers. The 2004 census recorded 20,301 inhabitants. Under Ottoman rule (1517-1918) Safita was the centre of a large rural district, and in the 16th and early 17th centuries its subdistrict took in about fifty villages. Its weight declined as the nearby port of Tartus grew. Safita keeps close economic links with Tartus, has business networks reaching Syria's major cities and Lebanon, and still acts as the economic hub of its countryside.

Source: Wikipedia, "Safita"

The main sights

• The keep - one of the tallest crusader towers still standing.
• The chapel - the church within the tower's ground floor.
• The roof view - mountains one way, the Mediterranean the other.
• The hill town - stone lanes wrapped around the tower.

When to go

April to June and September to November are mild. Clear winter days give the longest views. Summer evenings on the hill are pleasant.

What to expect

The keep is a working church as much as a monument - visits should defer to services. The stair is steep and dark. Facilities in town are simple.

Nearby

Hosn Suleiman is north in the hills, and Tartus is west.