Castle
4/5
Margat Castle
Towering high upon an extinct volcanic peak six kilometers inland from the Mediterranean city of Baniyas, Margat Castle, known locally as Qal'at Marqab, is one of the most imposing black basalt fortresses in the world. Built by local lords and later expanded by the Knights Hospitaller, this massive dark fortress commanded strategic coastal roads and Mediterranean sea lanes. Renowned for its imposing black stone architecture, extensive subterranean vaults, and dramatic medieval battles, Margat Castle is celebrated in local lore for ghostly guards, phantom monks, and dark whispers in its basalt halls.