 Krak des Chevaliers ( French pronunciation : <unk> [ <unk> de <unk> ] ; Arabic : حصن <unk> ) , also Crac des Chevaliers , <unk> al @-@ Akrād ( حصن <unk> ) , Castle <unk> , formerly Crac de l 'Ospital , is a Crusader castle in Syria and one of the most important preserved medieval castles in the world . The site was first inhabited in the 11th century by a settlement of Kurdish troops dispatched there by the <unk> ; as a result it was known as Hisn al @-@ Akrad , meaning the " Castle of the Kurds " . In 1142 it was given by Raymond II , Count of Tripoli , to the Knights Hospitaller . It remained in their possession until it fell in 1271 . It became known as Crac de l 'Ospital ; the name Krak des Chevaliers was coined in the 19th century . 
