Qalaat Burzey

Syria, Syria

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Qalaat Burzey, also known as Qalaat Mirza or Mirza Castle, is a dramatic medieval hill castle in western Syria near the border between the coastal mountains (Jabal Ansariye) and the Ghab Plain along the Orontes Valley, about 25 km south of Jisr al‑Shughur and 10 km from the town of Salinfeh.

The site, called Lysias in Seleucid times, was originally a Byzantine fortification from the 11th century, then rebuilt and expanded by the Crusaders in the early 12th century as their last eastern outpost pushing toward the Ghab Valley, and later modified by the Ayyubids and Mamluks with additional towers and Arabian‑style elements.

The castle has a striking triangular plan set on a steep spur, with a short eastern face and a long western face, 21 towers, a small church on the surface, arrow bastions, underground rooms, and water reservoirs, and it is described by travelers as resembling “the prow of a fantastic ship launched for an attack on the clouds.”

After centuries of strategic importance, Qalaat Burzey was captured by Saladin in 1188 following a three‑day siege and eventually fell into ruin, but its preserved towers, walls, and layout still make it one of Syria’s most scenic and historically layered Crusader‑era fortresses, freely accessible to visitors who climb about 100 meters from the road to reach the entrance.