Citadel of Salah Ed - Din The Citadel of Salah Ed - Din ( , " Qal ' at Salah al - Din " ) is a castle in Syria . It is also known as Saône or Saladin Castle . It is located 7 km east of Al - Haffah town and 30 km east of the city of Latakia , in high mountainous terrain on a ridge between two deep ravines and surrounded by forest , the site has been fortified since at least the mid 10th century . In 975 the Byzantine Emperor John I Tzimiskes captured the site and it remained under Byzantine control until around 1108 . Early in the 12th century the Franks assumed control of the site and it was part of the newly formed Crusader state of the Principality of Antioch . The Crusaders undertook an extensive building programme , giving the castle much of its current appearance . In 1188 it fell to the forces of Saladin after a three - day siege . The castle was again besieged in 1287 , this time both defender and belligerent were Mamluks . In 2006 , the castles of Qal ' at Salah El - Din and Krak des Chevaliers was recognised as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO . The site is owned by the Syrian government . History . The traditional name of the site is " Sahyun " , the Arabic equivalent of Zion . This , according to historian Hugh N . Kennedy , is why it has now been given the more politically correct title of " Qal ' at Salah al - Din " , meaning Saladin ' s Castle . The site has been fortified since at least the mid - 10th century . Byzantine Emperor John I Tzimiskes captured it in 975 from the Aleppan Hamdanid dynasty . It remained under Byzantine control until around 1108 when the Franks took control of Latakia , at which point it is likely they also took possession of Saône . It was part of the Principality of Antioch , one of the four states founded by the Crusaders after the First Crusade captured Jerusalem in 1099 . The lords of Saône were amongst the most powerful in Antioch . The first lord of Saône was probably Robert the Leprous and it remained in his family until 1188 . It was most likely Robert or his son , William , who built the Crusader castle around the previous Byzantine fortifications . Most of what is evident today was built at this time . The fortress was notable as being one of the few which were not entrusted to the major military orders of the Hospitaller and the Templars . On 27 July 1188 Saladin and his son , Az - Zahir Ghazi , arrived at Saône with an army and laid siege to the castle . The Muslim forces adopted two positions outside the castle : Saladin established himself with his siege engine s on the plateau opposite the castle ' s east side while his son was set up facing the north of the castle ' s lower enclosure . Stones weighing between hurled at the castle for two days , causing significant damage . On 29 July , the order to attack was given . Az - Zahir assaulted the castle town adjoining the castle ' s west , and the inhabitants sought refuge in the castle . The castle and town were supposed to be separated by a ditch , however at the north end the digging remained unfinished . Exploiting this , Az - Zahir successfully stormed the castle walls . The inner courtyard was overrun and the garrison retreated to the donjon or keep . Before the day ended they agreed terms with their attackers and were allowed to ransom themselves . Though Saône was a strong castle , it fell in just three days . Historian Hugh Kennedy speculates that , though the well - provisioned , this may have been because its garrison was not large enough and they did not have siege engines of their own . Saladin granted Saône and Bourzey Castle to one of his amirs , Mankawar . The pair descended through his heirs until 1272 when Saône was given to the Mamluk Sultan Baibars . Some time in the 1280s a new amir , Sunqur al - Ashqur , was in control and under him the castle became the administrative centre of a " small semi - independent emirate " . In 1287 it was captured by the forces of Sultan Qala ' un and made a part of the province of Tripoli . In late 1286 and early 1287 , Sultan Kalavun set out to repress his rivals which including curtailing Sunqur ' s independence . To this end the sultan sent an army under the command of Turuntay to establish a siege at Saône . Turuntay sent a message to Sunqur , saying that if he surrendered the sultan would pardon him ; Sunqur refused and so the siege began . It soon became apparent that Sunqur ' s men could not hold the castle , and so in April he surrendered . The citadel was made a World Heritage Site by UNESCO , along with Krak des Chevaliers , in 2006 . During the Syrian uprising which began in 2011 UNESCO voiced concerns that the conflict might lead to the damage of important cultural sites such as Citadel of Salah Ed - Din . Overview . Saône was built on a ridge some long between two deep gorges . It guarded the route between Latakia and the city of Antioch . The spur on which the castle is built is connected to a plateau in the east . The Byzantines defended the site by building a wall across the east side of the ridge . The walls created an irregular enclosure and were studded with flanking towers . Adjacent to the fortification , at the eastern end of the ridge was a settlement . One of the most magnificent features of the fortress is the 28 m deep ditch , which was cut into living rock . The creation of the ditch has been attributed to the Byzantines . This ditch , which runs 156 meters along the east side , is 14 to 20 meters wide and has a lonely 28 m high needle to support the drawbridge . The entrance to the castle is through an entrance on the south side of the fortress . On the right of the entrance is a tower , a bastion built by the Crusaders . There is another a few meters further . There is a cistern for water storage and some stables just next to a massive keep that overlooks the ditch . This keep has walls of 5 m thick and it covers an area of nearly 24 m² . Further on to the north is the gate where the drawbridge used to be . Also evident are the Byzantine citadel , located at the center of the fortress , another large cistern , the Crusader tea house , and a Crusader church adjoining one of two Byzantine chapels . As for the Arab additions to the fortress they include a mosque , which dates back to sultan Qalawun , and a palace , which includes baths with courtyards and iwans . This has been slightly restored .