Shaizar Castle

Shaizar stands on a long rock spur above a bend of the Orontes, the seat of the Munqidh family whose most famous son, Usama ibn Munqidh, wrote one of the great memoirs of the medieval world - a warrior's book full of hunting, sieges and sharp observation of the Franks he fought and befriended. The castle keeps a bridge-and-gate approach at one end, a keep at the other, and village houses among the walls. The gorge below carries the river and an old bridge.

What you actually see

• The rock spur - the long ridge the castle stretches along.
• The gate tower - the bridged entrance at the neck of the spur.
• The keep - the strongpoint at the far end.
• The Orontes gorge - the river bend below the walls.

When to go

March to May and October to November are mild. Spring is green along the Orontes. Summer is hot on the open rock.

Honest expectations

Parts of the castle are ruinous and unfenced above real drops. Access arrangements change and need local checking. Facilities are absent.

Nearby

Hama and its norias are southeast, and Apamea is north.