Mahalibeh castle is located at a high mountain summit near Lattakia, 40 km east of Syrian coast. First, the castle was built by Bani Alahmar tribe in the 11-th century, then it was occupied by Byzantine

Byzantine

Byzantine usually refers to the Roman Empire during the Middle Ages.Byzantine may also refer to:* A citizen of the Byzantine Empire, or native Greek during the Middle Ages...

 empire. The castle suffered many fights and damage, and finally surrendered to Saladdin, namely to his son Alzaher Alghazi in 1188.

The castle is damaged totally and is being restored now. The outer walls are surrounding the bulk massive of the castle; there are cisterns, underground rooms and remnants of premises in the middle, plus are visible some arches and towers. The only attaching section to the surrounding land is through southern piece of connecting lane, where the road goes.

The castle is reached through paved road via Qardaha

Qardaha

Qardaha is a village in northwestern Syria, in the mountains overlooking the coastal town of Latakia.It is mainly an Alawite town and the traditional home of the Assad family, that has ruled Syria since 1970. During the reign of Hafez al-Assad 1970-2000 the government poured massive investments...

 from west and Jobet Alburghal from east.