Byblos Citadel

Byblos, Lebanon, Lebanon

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Byblos Citadel, also called Byblos Castle or the Castle of Gibelet, is a medieval Crusader fortress located in the ancient coastal town of Byblos (Jubayl) in northern Lebanon, just steps from the Mediterranean port and adjacent to the Phoenician archaeological site that includes the Temple of Baalat Gebal and the Temple of the Obelisks.

Built in the 12th century by Crusaders using local limestone and materials reused from earlier Roman structures, the castle was originally surrounded by a moat and belonged to the Genoese Embriaco family, who were Lords of Gibelet from about 1100 into the late 13th century, and it later endured captures and repairs by Saladin, further Crusader rebuilding in 1197, and a recorded attack by Cypriot vessels in 1369, making it a layered example of 12th‑century “castrum‑plus‑turris” design with square walls, corner towers, and a central donjon.

Today the citadel is both a tourist landmark and an archaeological showcase: its thick stone walls, towers, and terraces offer panoramic views of the sea and the old town, while the interior houses the Byblos site museum, which displays artifacts and thematic panels explaining the city’s history from prehistoric times through Phoenician, Roman, Byzantine, Ottoman, and Crusader periods, and the wider site is part of the UNESCO World Heritage site of Byblos, one of the world’s oldest continuously inhabited settlements dating back to around 8000 BCE.