Originally inhabited by a settlement of Kurdish troops billeted there by the Mydasids, the spectacular castle was originally built by the Emir of Aleppo in the early 11th century, and captured by Raymond IV of Toulouse at the end of the same century during the First Crusade.

Half a century later, Raymond II, Count of Tripoli, ceded it to the Knights Hospitallers of the Order of the Hospital of St. John of Jerusalem, who used it as an administrative center and military base during the Crusades. During that time the castle was heavily improved, becoming the fortress that has survived to the present day.

The castle is known for its architecture and its strategic location on a hill overlooking the surrounding plain. It has a series of towers and walls that were designed to defend against enemy attacks. In addition, the castle has several impressive buildings and halls that were used by the knights and soldiers who occupied it.

One of the most remarkable rooms is the Knights' Hall, a sophisticated example of Gothic architecture, with tracery and delicate decoration. Another is the chapel, with a prominent barrel vault and an apse, which became an important example of medieval European architecture in the Middle East. Even in later investigations in the twentieth century, remains of frescoes were discovered, painted on the inside and outside of the main chapel, being an interesting example of Crusades art.

Its design is a triumph of defensive planning, and features two concentric rings of defense: an outer wall adorned with watchtowers and a stronger, higher inner wall that houses the main buildings of the fortress. At 9 meters high, the outer enclosure has towers that protrude sharply from the wall.

This double-walled design, together with its construction on top of a hill, turned the castle into a concentric fortress that was practically impregnable. In its interior space, in addition to various rooms and chambers in keeping with the magnitude of the fortress, there was a central courtyard surrounded by vaulted chambers.

It was then known as Crac de l'Ospital; the name Krak des Chevaliers was coined later, in the 19th century. The castle resisted for almost a century the continuous attempts of conquest by the Muslims, until it was finally taken by Baibars, the sultan of Egypt, in the Ninth Crusade, at the end of the 13th century.

The siege was so difficult that only by deception was it possible for the Muslims to take control of it. Legend has it that a carrier pigeon landed inside the main enclosure, with the clear message that the Hospitaller knights should abandon the fortress, making a pact with the enemy to surrender the castle and allow them to take refuge in the Christian zone. The famous note was signed by the Grand Master of the Hospitaller Order of Tripoli, although everything pointed to a deception on the part of the advisers of the Egyptian sultan.

After the Franks were expelled from the Holy Land at the end of the 13th century, the castle gradually lost its defensive importance. With the renewed interest in Crusader architecture from the second half of the 19th century, many scholars researched and documented the fortress with fascination, among them the well-known Lawrence of Arabia.

Already in the 20th century, the efforts for its restoration and conservation led the fortress, thanks to the Académie des Beaux-Arts during the French Mandate of Syria, to become one of the main tourist attractions in the French Levant. It was not until the 21st century, in 2006, that it would become a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

During the first decade of the 21st century, the castle remained remarkably well preserved and was a tourist attraction, but during the Syrian civil war, which began in 2011, it was severely damaged by bombing. However, since the end of the conflict, efforts for its reconstruction and conservation have not ceased, from the hand of both UNESCO and the Syrian government, in favor of maintaining an important architectural vestige of almost a thousand years old.

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