The castle above took a direct hit from a shell in 2012, and two airstrikes in 2013, destroying part of the southwest tower, a staircase, and the priceless Hall of the Knights, with its intricately carved loggia. 

In 2013, UNESCO was forced to add Krak des Chevaliers to its list of World Heritage in Danger sites, in the hope of inspiring “corrective action,” citing “potential threats consequent to the armed conflict in Syria that started in March 2011.” However, very little was done to protect the castle from attack.

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Monia Adjiwanou, of UNESCO’s Heritage and Culture in Emergencies, hopes the new government will offer chances to preserve heritage sites and curb the theft of artifacts. “The ongoing political transition in Syria could offer new opportunities of engagement with cultural heritage professionals,” Adjiwanou said. “If context and the security situation allow, additional support could be envisaged for the protection of the country’s unique heritage and the fight against illicit trafficking and looting.”

On the morning of  March 20, 2014, the regime launched a surprise attack on Husn and the rebel fighters stationed there. 

Looking up at the castle above him Zakaria Ayash, a fighter with the FSA, recounted how he and his men fought off the regime with Ak-47s and local knowledge. Still, it wasn’t enough to withstand the Syrian Air Force’s bombing campaign.

“Being caught by the regime was a fate worse than death,” the 31-year-old fighter said, before adding, “that fear was the worst part of the fighting.”

Being caught by the regime was a fate worse than death.

Much like the crusaders before them, who thanks to a forged letter by the Mamluks claiming to be from the Grand Master of the Knights Hospitaller that caused the defenders to lay down their arms, the Sunni Muslim militiamen were forced to abandon their positions. Ayash was hit by a bullet and his men had to hide out behind enemy lines. 

Hezbollah, the Lebanese Shia Muslim military force loyal to the Assad regime, surrounded the FSA fighters. The Shia forces were so close the rebel fighters could hear them say “we’re going to kill you.” Under the cover of darkness, the FSA fighters slipped through Hezbollah lines and across the border into northern Lebanon. They eventually sought refuge in the predominantly Sunni city of Tripoli.

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Ayash maintains that he and his men never fought from inside the castle. According to him, they didn’t need to. They knew the terrain of their town and, in his words, they “didn’t want to destroy the castle” they loved. 

However, on March 21, 2014, just one day after the battle of Husn, journalists were escorted into the castle by Assad’s troops. The BBC reported that they had seen signs of a hasty retreat. Regime troops pointed to curtains hung up inside and an ancient room used to store weapons.

During the conflict, most of the residents of Husn fled their homes and crossed the border into Lebanon. Many returned in recent weeks for the first time since Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham fighters took control of the country and forced former President Bashar al-Assad and his family to escape to Russia.