Doubiyeh Castle

Chaqra, Lebanon, Lebanon

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Doubiyeh Castle (also spelled Doubay, Dubieh, or Dubiye, and locally called Qalaat Chaqra) is a medieval fortress in the village of Chaqra in the southern Lebanese district of Bint Jbeil, Nabatieh Governorate, situated on a steep, narrow spur above the Wady Selukieh valley.

It was originally built in the 12th century as a Crusader tower (turris) within the Lordship of Toron, serving as a watchtower on the important road linking Damascus to Tyre and as a visible sign of feudal authority, and it later saw occupation during the Ayyubid and Mamluk periods and was radically refortified in the first half of the 17th century under Ottoman rule in response to tensions between local Shia lords and the central government.

The castle’s appearance today mixes a medieval Mamluk-style fortress with unusual Early Modern features rarely found in the Near East: it includes service areas, reception rooms, and living spaces equipped with fireplaces, yet it notably lacks gun-loops or other provisions for firearms, offering insight into 17th- and 18th-century military practices in the region.