Krak des Chevaliers, Crusader castle

Krak des Chevaliers is a remarkably well-preserved Crusader castle and it looks almost exactly as it would have 800 years ago. The Krak des Chevaliers guards the only major pass between Antakya in Turkey and Beirut in Lebanon; it was built and expanded between 1150 and 1250 and eventually housed a garrison of 2000. The castle held out against several attacks, but was lost to the Mamluk Sultan Beybar in 1271.