CRUSADER CASTLE

Built in 1108 to serve as a military base for the Lords of Gibelet (from Genoa), it was destroyed by an earthquake in 1170, resulting in repairs that lasted several years. It consists of a central keep separated by the courtyard, a square enclosure with five protective towers. The keep was built from blocks recovered from the nearby Persian and Roman ruins. Similarly, many columns were used to consolidate the surrounding wall. The castle was redesigned over the centuries, and only its base still dates from the Crusader period. The Mamluks and Ottomans particularly modified the upper parts of the castle, keeping the foundations built by the Crusaders. The fortress is entered through a large gate leading to a two-arch bridge over the northern ditch. A small museum on two levels occupies the heart of the castle. It is well done and interesting. This museum evokes the excavations of the site, the history of Byblos and the Phoenician alphabet.