 According to 13th @-@ century Arab historian Ibn Shaddad , the <unk> <unk> of Aleppo , <unk> ad @-@ <unk> , established a settlement of Kurdish tribesmen at the site of the future castle in <unk> CE , hence the castle 's Arabic name " Hisn al @-@ Akrad " ( Castle of the Kurds ) . The site was strategically located at the southern edge of the <unk> al @-@ <unk> mountain range and dominated the road between Homs and Tripoli . When building castles , Muslims often chose elevated sites such as hills and mountains that provided natural obstacles . 
