Montferrand was a fortress in the County of Tripoli (at the present-day village of Baarin in Syria), built in 1126.
Montferrand | |
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Baarin, Syria | |
Montferrand | |
Coordinates | 34°57′1″N 36°24′58″E / 34.95028°N 36.41611°E |
Type | Castle |
Site information | |
Condition | Ruins |
The construction of Montferrand started when the united crusader troops from Jerusalem, Tripoli and Antioch laid siege to Rafaniya on 13 March 1126.[1] Originally, it was destined to complete the blockade of Rafaniya and to secure the protection of the besiegers.[1] Rafaniya fell to the crusaders on 31 March.[1]
Count Raymond II of Tripoli granted his claims to Montferrand and Rafaniya to the Knights Hospitallers in 1142 to persuade them to make efforts to recapture it.[2] In 1238/9, the Ayyubid emir of Hama, Al-Muzaffar Mahmud, decided to raze the citadel to the ground.[3]