Khawabi

Syria, Syria

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Khawabi, more precisely known as Qalaat al‑Khawabi (Castle of Khawabi), is an impressive medieval castle and hilltop village in northwestern Syria, located about 20 km northeast of the port city of Tartus in the Syrian coastal mountains (Jabal Bahra), within the administrative area of Tartus Governorate.

The site originally developed as an Abbasid‑period stronghold in the 10th century AD, later restored by the Byzantines in the 11th century, and then became a major Ismaili (Nizari) fortress during the Crusader period, re‑fortified by the Ismaili leader Rashid al‑Din Sinan (the “Old Man of the Mountain”) after 1160.

Together with nearby forts such as Maniqa, Qulay‘a and Rusafa, Khawabi formed part of the Ismaili “qila‘ al‑da‘wa” (castles of the missionary order), and in 1273 these strongholds surrendered to the Mamluk ruler Baybars, after which the castle gradually lost its military role.

Over the centuries the castle was heavily modified by local villagers who settled within its walls, and today it is one of the few Syrian castles where a small community still lives, making it a unique example of a living archaeological site where medieval stone structures are interwoven with modern houses, narrow streets, and agricultural terraces.