Arwad Castle

The island itself has been inhabited since the 2nd millennium BC or earlier; the fortress is much later. According to the Arabic Wikipedia it was built on the remains of Canaanite structures, taken by the Arabs in 640, and fortified with walls and defences by the Templars during the Crusades. The UNESCO Tentative List description suggests the central fortress took over the site of an older building and assigns it on stylistic grounds to the Ayyubid period (12th century), with Crusader changes in the 13th and Ottoman changes in the 15th century.

After the loss of the mainland in 1291 the island was the Crusaders' last foothold; in 1302 the Templars kept a garrison there. In September 1302 (26 September according to the English Wikipedia) they surrendered to the Mamluks after a siege. The Arabic Wikipedia article on the castle attributes the capture to Sultan Qalawun, whereas UNESCO links Qalawun to the defeat of Tartus in 1291.

The French navy occupied the island in 1915. Under the Mandate the French used the fortress as a prison for opponents of their rule; according to the English Wikipedia the captives' graffiti are still visible. The German Wikipedia states that the politician Faris al-Khuri was held here for 76 days after the outbreak of the 1925 revolt. After independence in 1946 the fortress became a local museum.[1][2][3][5]

The central fortress is larger than the small fort by the harbour and rests directly on the bedrock. It is rectangular; parts of its walls contain large blocks resembling the island's so-called Phoenician ramparts or possibly taken from an older building. Halls presumed to be Ottoman surround the central courtyard, topped by a wall-walk with crenellated walls. According to the Arabic Wikipedia the Lusignan coat of arms is carved on its gate; the Arabic article on the island instead places this emblem on the coastal fort ("al-Burj" or the "Ayyubid tower").[1][4][5]

The fortress served as a defensive work, in the 20th century as a prison and afterwards as a museum. According to the German Wikipedia the fortress building today forms the centre of the island village. UNESCO's Tentative List entry for Arwad names the two medieval forts, together with the wall remains, the harbour and the dense urban fabric, as surviving evidence of the island's history.[1][3][5]

The German Wikipedia (October 2026) describes the old fortress building as well preserved. The English Wikipedia reports that there was no fighting on the island during the civil war.[2][3]