Fakhr-al-Din II
Carved into the rock of a cliff overlooking the Bisri and 'Aray valley, the Fortress of Niha has been monitoring the road between Sidon and the Beqaa valley. It is mentioned for the first time in 975 AD and later in 1133. It has been controlled alternatively by the Crusaders and local Muslims until its destruction in 1261. In 1270, the Mamluk leader Baibars ordered it rebuilt. In 1585, the Emir Qorqomaz Maan probably took refuge in it briefly before his death. It is reputed that the Emir Fakhr-al-Din II also found refuge there before he was executed by the Pasha of Damascus in 1635, but it might more probably have been his father Emir Korkomaz, in 1584.