on the castle. Architecture Castles in Europe provided lordly accommodation for their owners and acted as centres of administration. In the Levant the need for defence was paramount and this was reflected in castle design. Historian Hugh Kennedy suggests that "The castle scientifically designed as a fighting machine surely reached its apogee in great buildings like Margat and Crac des Chevaliers." Like the Krak des Chevaliers, Margat is a large spur castle with many typical elements of a concentric castle. It has a bent entrance leading through the base of a gate tower. A notable feature of the inner defences is a large circular tower, sometimes referred to as a donjon (though it should not be confused with a central keep). Unlike the Krak Des Chevaliers, Margat has a large outer ward, giving it a larger total area. Village of al-Marqab The village of al-Marqab () is located just north of the castle, straddling the road leading north to the coastal city of Baniyas. Nearby localities besides Baniyas, include Talin to the east, Osaibah to the southeast with Basatin al-Assad and al-Bayda to the south. According to the Syria Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS), al-Marqab had a population of 2,618 as of the 2004 census. Its inhabitants are predominantly Sunni Muslims. Together, al-Marqab, Basatin al-Assad anf al-Bayda form a mostly Sunni Muslim-inhabited enclave in an area largely populated by members of the Alawite community. A suburb has existed outside the fortress since at least the late 12th century, during Crusader rule. During this period, its chief exports were sumac, wine, must, almonds, figs and pottery. In 1325 North African geographer Ibn Batuta visited the suburb. In 1938 al-Marqab stood near the foot of the fortress and was among five Sunni Muslim villages in the area, which also contained several Alawite, Greek Orthodox, Greek Catholic and Maronite villages. In 1945, at the end of the French Mandate, al-Marqab had a population of 832. Starting in 1968, it experienced significant prosperity due to the construction of the Iraq Petroleum Company pipeline and petroleum port at Baniyas. See also List of Crusader castles Notes References Sources Further reading External links Tour through castle Syria Times Photos of al-Marqab at the American Center of Research Crusader castles Castles in Syria Castles and fortifications of the Knights Hospitaller Mamluk castles Buildings and structures in Tartus Governorate Archaeological sites in Tartus Governorate Hill castles Baniyas Buildings