Homs to Krak des Chevaliers in half a day

Half a day that explains why Homs is where it is. The city sits at the mouth of the gap, and this route walks that gap westward: first the city’s own stone, then the gap’s water, and at the end the castle that holds it.

The road

The Khalid ibn al-Walid Mosque is north of the centre; start there in the morning, while the garden is empty. Then head west. Fifteen kilometres out, Lake Qattinah appears on your left — half an hour on the shore with a tea. Carrying on from the lake the ground starts to climb, and Krak des Chevaliers appears on the last bend.

Timing

Be at the mosque at nine, at the lake by eleven, at the castle in the afternoon. The order follows the light: the black-and-white facade of the mosque reads unshaded in the morning, and the castle’s inner courtyard moves into shade after mid-afternoon.

Take care

The return is the same road and the mountain road is hard in the dark; plan to come down before sunset. Fuel stations are sparse along the way — fill up leaving Homs.