Beirut Castle

[1]: 324  A first city castle appears to have been built in 1183–1185, following Saladin's unsuccessful siege attempt in 1183 and probably under the leadership of Raymond III of Tripoli.

[4] All castle structures and the promontories on which they were built were entirely flattened between 1889 and 1895 to construct a road and railway that served the new port facilities, now Avenue Charles Helou.

The area that had laid at the foot of the castle promontory became a market for bulk trade in grains, sugar, rice, coffee and tea, known as Souk Mal-al-Qabban.

[1][5] The castle was built upon a promontory on the sea, to the north of the ancient Tell of Beirut and west of the present-day intersection of Charles Helou Avenue and Al-Shuhada Street.

A separate fortification known as Burj al-Musallah was built on an islet that was located roughly on the intersection of Helou Avenue and Foch Street.