Qalaat Al Madiq

Syria, Syria

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Qalaat al‑Madiq is a town and medieval fortress in northwestern Syria, in the Hama Governorate, situated on the eastern bank of the Orontes River in the al‑Ghab plain, about 25 km north of Hama.

The site is the ancient city of Apamea, whose Roman and Byzantine ruins lie just east of the modern town and were used as building material for the later castle. The fortress itself was built during Muslim rule in the 12th century and is notable as the first castle in the Levant acquired by the Nizari Isma‘ilis (the Assassins) after they purchased it in 1106 from the Fatimid‑appointed Egyptian lord, following encouragement from Ridwan, the Seljuk ruler of Aleppo.

The castle overlooks the town from a high hill, is still inhabited by villagers, and is in poor condition, but nearby in the village stands an attractive 16th‑century Ottoman mosque and an Ottoman khan (caravanserai) also from the 16th century, which now serves as a museum displaying mosaics and statuary mainly from Apamea.

The town’s strategic position on the foothills of Mount Shashabo made it a key military point, controlling the entrance to the al‑Ghab plain and overlooking surrounding valleys, and during the civil war it was under rebel control except for the citadel, which stayed with the regime; in May 2019 Syrian regime forces captured the whole village in the Hama offensive, making it the last major stronghold in that area before further advances toward Idlib.