Sitting atop a high ridge in what is now the Homs province of modern-day Syria, it could once accommodate a garrison of 2,000 men. Many centuries later, after civil war broke out in Syria in 2011, the fortress again became a battleground, this time between government forces and rebels. "The castle closed its doors in 2012, then opened up again in 2014 but it wasn't ready to receive visitors," Muhartam said. Most notable was the damage to the castle's Gothic reception hall, and its chapel.
AFP