Citadel of Shayzar

The castle of Shayzar, also spelt as Shaizar, stood overlooking the fertile plains of the Gharb. It was situated half way between Skelbieh and Hama. Like Skelbieh, Shayzar belonged to the governorate of Hama. It had a long history of occupation, with the original settlement by one of Alexander's Thessalonian cavalry forces in the first century BC. The medieval fortress was ruled by the 12th century Banu Munqidh dynasty.
Prince Usamah Mundqidh was known as a poet and a writer and wrote many poetry anthologies and a book titled Kitab al-I'tibar. He wrote about the life of Shayzar in the 12th century, portraying Muslim life at that time. An earthquake at Shayzar in 1157 killed most of his family. He was exiled from Shaizar by his uncle in 1131 and died in 1188 in Damascus at the age of 93.
The castle's structure suffered greatly from two major earthquakes and the ravages of time. It bordered on the northern side of Skelbieh's Greek Orthodox twin sister town of Mahardah.

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