Qal'at Ja'bar

Coordinates: 35°53′49″N 38°28′52″E / 35.8969°N 38.48101°E / 35.8969; 38.48101
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Qal'at Ja'bar
قلعة جعبر
Caber Kalesi
Qal'at Dawsar (ancient name)
Nur ad-Din Zangi
MaterialsStone and brick

Qal'at Ja'bar (

Nur ad-Din
, who rebuilt the castle from 1168 onwards. Since 1965, several excavations have been carried out in and around the castle, as well as restoration works of the walls and towers. The castle was a Turkish exclave between 1921 and 1973.

History

Before the castle

It is not exactly known when the hilltop of Qal'at Ja'bar was first fortified. The site was already known as "Dawsar" in pre-Islamic times and was located along a route connecting Raqqa with the west.[1][2]

11th century and later

Qal'at Dawsar was mentioned in 1040/41 when the

Uqaylid commander of the Citadel of Aleppo, Salim ibn Malik ibn Badran, as compensation for his surrender of Aleppo. The castle may have been built by the Numayr, but more likely its construction occurred under Salim.[4]

Salim's descendants held the castle almost continuously until the late 12th century, except for a brief occupation by

Mongol invasions of Syria. Restoration works were carried out in the 14th century.[1][5][6]

Tomb of Suleyman Shah

Main article: Tomb of Suleyman Shah

French mandate and eventual independence.[7] In 1973, in response to the rising water level of the newly created Lake Assad, the reputed tomb of Suleyman Shah and the associated exclave were moved to a new location north of Qal'at Ja'bar and the castle itself became Syrian territory.[6]

Syrian Civil War

SDF fighters examine Qal'at Ja'bar following their capture of the castle in January 2017. ISIL had built tunnels and weapons depots into the castle grounds.[8]

During the

Raqqa offensive, seizing it after killing 22 ISIL fighters.[11][12]

Architecture

Qal'at Ja'bar measures 370 by 170 metres (1,210 ft × 560 ft). The castle consists of a stone-built wall with 35 bastions around a rock core, and is partially surrounded by a dry moat.[13] The layout of the castle is very reminiscent of the much better preserved citadel of Aleppo. The upper parts of the castle are built from baked bricks. The entrance to the inner parts of the castle consists of a gatehouse and a winding ramp cut out of the rock. Inside the castle are the remains of a vaulted hall, as well as minaret that was probably built by Nur ad-Din, and that is the highest part of the castle. The brickwork that is currently visible is mainly the result of extensive restoration works by the Syrian Directorate-General of Antiquities and Museums (DGAM).[6][14][15]

Restoration and excavation

View of the castle in 1939, before construction of the Tabqa Dam and flooding of the surrounding land.

In 1968, construction of the

donjon Alia, which was intended to house a museum for the finds of the excavations at the castle. To facilitate the restoration, a small brickworks was established at the castle.[13] Finds from the castle are now on display in the National Museum of Aleppo and Raqqa Museum.[16][17]

See also

References

  1. ^
    OCLC 624382576
    .
  2. OCLC 1458654
    .
  3. ^ Heidemann 2006, p. 132, note 37.
  4. ISBN 90-04-14713-6
    .
  5. OCLC 624382576
    .
  6. ^
    ISBN 1-86064-244-6
    .
  7. ^ "Franco-Turkish agreement of Ankara" (PDF) (in French). Retrieved 19 September 2009.
  8. ^ "US-backed Kurdish Forces Capture Historic Castle From IS Near Raqqa". Voice of America. 10 January 2017. Retrieved 23 January 2017.
  9. ^ "SDF FIGHTERS LIBERATE HISTORIC 850-YEAR-OLD CASTLE FROM ISIS". NRT. 6 January 2017. Archived from the original on 3 August 2017. Retrieved 7 January 2017.
  10. ^ "US-backed Kurdish Forces Capture Historic Castle From IS Near Raqqa". Voice of America. 10 January 2017. Retrieved 25 January 2017.
  11. ^ Sirwan Kajjo (6 January 2017). "US-backed Forces in Syria Target Strategic IS-held Dam". Voice of America. Retrieved 7 January 2017.
  12. ^ "Kurdish-Arab forces seize strategic Syria citadel from IS". Agnce France-Presse. Yahoo! News. 6 January 2017. Archived from the original on 14 December 2017. Retrieved 7 January 2017.
  13. ^
    ISSN 0027-0776
    .
  14. ISBN 1-57958-210-9
    .
  15. OCLC 481634750
    .
  16. ^
    JSTOR 3768538
    .
  17. JSTOR 4198474
    .

Further reading

External links

35°53′49″N 38°28′52″E / 35.8969°N 38.48101°E / 35.8969; 38.48101

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