Why did he do it??

The truth unveiled......

The capture of Saone Castle, one of the most impregnable Crusader Fortress, was one of the milestones that highlighted the life of Saladin. This difficult capture was a mystery to many people! Why would he take such a risk? One could say: because of its strategic location that was first used by the Phoenicians a thousand years before! It's true, but it's not only "it".......

Saladin would not simply put a fortress under siege for 4 months and bring 6 mangonels (catapult-like war engines), that can hurl stone balls weighing up to 270 kilos, just because of the very "obvious" reason. There must have been another reason!

A thorough look into history does not give a clear answer, however, a closer look at this photo explains it all! He could not resist not having this heaven-alike view from the window of his castle? Could you?

This fortress was recently named after Saladin to commemorate its capture in 1188 AD (it had been in the Crusader's hands for one century). As late as 1965, it was impossible to reach except on foot or horse back by a difficult climb, first downhill and then up again after crossing a stream.

The small photo on the right shows the stream that must be crossed in order to reach the castle if not accessed from the main and only entrance .

The second photo on the left shows how people used to reach the castle before 1965, when the government padded a road around the mountains and made it accessible by cars. (My friend Wael is in this photo, we can see how tired he was after few hours of climbing ;-)

The last photo in this post is a zoom-in to the lake that can be seen from the castle! Homsi historians say that Saladin used to use this lake for fishing and water-skiing.

I hope I shed some light on this important castle and revealed some unknown truths!

Ihsan