According to Arab sources, the site of Margat Castle was first fortified in 1062 by Muslims[1] who continued to hold it within the Christian Principality of Antioch in the aftermath of the First Crusade.

When the Principality was defeated at the Battle of Harran in 1104, the Byzantine Empire took advantage of their weakness and captured Margat[a] from the Muslims.

By the beginning of the 13th century the Hospitallers controlled the surrounding land and roads and made a large profit from travellers and pilgrims passing through.

In September 1281, the Hospitallers of Margat dispatched a contingent of troops to support the Mongol invasion of Syria, which the Mamluk sultan of Egypt Qalawun successfully prevented after defeating the coalition at Homs.

The defenders panicked and on discovering the numerous tunnels around the fortress, surrendered to the Mamluk commander Fakhr al-Din Mukri on 23 May, with Qalwun entering Margat two days later.

He was charged with defending the coast, particularly from threats from the island of Cyprus, and maintaining the guard towers and observation posts.

The 15th-century Muslim historian Khalil al-Zahiri noted that Marqab fortress was among the most important sites of Tripoli province.

Historian Hugh Kennedy suggests that "The castle scientifically designed as a fighting machine surely reached its apogee in great buildings like Margat and Crac des Chevaliers.

Unlike the Krak Des Chevaliers, Margat has a large outer ward, giving it a larger total area.

Nearby localities besides Baniyas, include Talin to the east, Osaibah to the southeast with Basatin al-Assad and al-Bayda to the south.

Together, al-Marqab, Basatin al-Assad and al-Bayda form a mostly Sunni Muslim-inhabited enclave in an area largely populated by members of the Alawite community.