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Al-Kahf Castle

Al-Kahf Castle is a ruined medieval fortress in the coastal mountains of western Syria, near Qadmus in Tartus governorate, built on a rocky spur and reached through a passage cut into the rock. The Nizari Ismailis acquired it in the 1130s, and it is said to have been an early base of their leader Rashid al-Din Sinan. It was the last Ismaili castle to surrender to the Mamluk sultan Baybars, in 1273.

Al-Kahf Castle
Image: Nawar Shash · CC BY 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Mentioned in 1 state history

Nizari Ismailis of Syria

See also

Cite this entry
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Al-Kahf Castle. In The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/al-kahf-castle
MLA
“Al-Kahf Castle.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/al-kahf-castle. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Al-Kahf Castle.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/al-kahf-castle.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Al-Kahf Castle’, The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/al-kahf-castle (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random entry ↻