Crusader Castles
Al-Marqab (Margat):
Hospitaller castle acquired 1186 and held out against Saladin after defeat at Hattin (July 1187). Formidable fortress - even Saladin made no serious attempt to take it. Forbidden to make any improvements or provide military support by Emperor Frederick II (1228) - it fell (May 1285) to Kalarun, Mameluke Sultan of Egypt and Syria.
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"For my part, I adhere to the maxim of antiquity: The throne is a glorious sepulchre."