The White Tower of Safita

Up in the coastal hills, a single rectangular tower at the highest point of the town. The white limestone and its whitewash give it its name: the Crusaders called it Chastel Blanc. The tower was built as the keep of a castle; most of the rest of that castle has gone, the keep remained, and the town grew around it.

Getting there

About forty kilometres east of Tartus, an hour by car on a road that climbs into the hills. The way up to the tower from the town is on foot and the streets are steep.

How long it takes

Forty-five minutes: the chapel, the upper floor and the view from the roof.

What is there

On the ground floor is the Chapel of St Michael, and this is not a museum but a working church — visits are limited during services. The large hall above was the military floor, reached by a stone stair. The thickness of the wall can be measured in the window recesses, and that is where the tower reads most clearly as a defensive structure.

What most people miss

Go up to the roof and look east. The direction of Krak des Chevaliers opens up behind the hills; the two castles were placed within sight of each other, and only from here can you weigh the distance.