The following was quoted from what the engineer Mr. Malatyous Jaghnoun have written
about Safita Tower: " Safita Tower is located on one of the twin mountains where
Safita, the city, is located also. It's about 450m see level rise.
the
tower ,which was a defensive fort for Europeans, had been called the White Fort or
" Chastel Blanc ".Also, its strategic location distinguished it from
other European castles as it was not far enough from an area dominated by Al-esmaielyeen ( Al-kadmos Fort, Mesiaf
Fort).
Ibn Ammar Emirate ruled Tripoli for the benefit of Al-fatimyah Caliphate.
Then came
Raymond De San Jill. He dominated Tripoli after defeating Ibn Ammar & built a fort.
It was the 1st fort established by the County of Tripoli in the area. Well,
the fort didn't last long
as it was soon ruined by Noor Din Zincky in about 1167 AD. Then, it was
taken by Jack De Fetre, Akka's Latin Priest, in about 1217 AD. the priest used
to send carrier pigeons to inform of his movements & to ask for guards for
reception.
After that
The French King Louis IX ,who was known as "Saint Louis", had enlarged the
tower, but the tower existed now was built by the Temple Knights in about 1180
AD. Finally, it was sieged by Sultan Baybars in 1271 but he left the tower &
went to Le Crac des Chevaliers.
Tower's dimensions are 31m length, 18m width & 27m height. The tower is still in
good condition till now.
the wall
is remarkably thick ,about 4.5m, to make it more stable in the face of siege
engines & to prevent it
from falling due to its height. In spite of the tremendous height, number of
walls have slits.
And what worth mentioning is the Knight
Hall!!! It's built above the church & has three columns leaning on the
Knight hall
floor only without extending to the church floor.
So, you can imagine how could such a building bear such huge columns!!! I advise
you to ask an architect.
