Burj al-Arab, a Crusader Tower near Talkalakh

Burj al-Arab is a small Crusader tower in the village of the same name, west of Homs and just north of the Lebanese border. It is built of basalt. The plan measures 11 m by just over 13 m. The Crusaders built it in the early 12th century, and the army of Sultan Baibars took it in 1271. Today it is partly ruined. Part of it is a stable.

Where it is

The village is in Talkalakh District and is also known as Ain al-Arab. Tell Hawsh lies to the east, al-Mitras to the north and Zweitina to the northeast. The Krak des Chevaliers is about 12 km to the east as the crow flies. The tower stands inside the village, with no separate visitor entrance.

What the tower was for

Burj al-Arab belonged to a network of isolated towers that the County of Tripoli built along the Homs Gap. These were not large castles meant to withstand sieges but points of passive defence, tied into the same system as the castles of Krak des Chevaliers, Safita and Tartus. According to an academic study of the tower, the ground floor had an administrative role, and the first floor was probably the owner’s residence.

What to see

Walls of basalt blocks and a rectangular plan. The building is partly ruined, and the section used as a stable belongs to the villagers’ daily work. Sources say the other Crusader tower at al-Zarah and the town of Talkalakh could be seen from its roof.

How long it takes

Twenty minutes. It is a single building, and that is enough to walk round the outside and look at the basalt masonry.

Do not miss

The view southeast towards al-Zarah. The Crusader tower there was built on the remains of a Roman temple, has a footprint of 121 m², and only its north wall still stands. That the two towers could see each other shows how the Crusaders held this valley point by point.