Sahyun Castle (Arabic: قلعة صهيون, romanized: Qalʿat Ṣahyūn, lit.

Early in the 12th century the Franks assumed control of the site and it was part of the newly formed Crusader state of the Principality of Antioch.

In 2006, the castles of Qal'at Salah El-Din and Krak des Chevaliers were recognised as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.

This, according to historian Hugh N. Kennedy, is why it has now been given the more politically correct title of Qalʿat Ṣalāḥ al-Dīn, meaning "Saladin's Castle".

[2] The site has been fortified since at least the mid-10th century, and its first known occupant was a dependent of the Aleppo-based Hamdanid emir, Sayf al-Dawla.

It was most likely Robert or his son, William of Zardana, who built the Crusader castle around the previous Byzantine fortifications.

On 27 July 1188, the Ayyubid sultan Saladin and his son, az-Zahir Ghazi, arrived at Sahyun with an army and laid siege to the castle.

Stones weighing between 50 and 300 kilograms (110 and 660 lb) hurled at the castle for two days, causing significant damage.

The castle and town were supposed to be separated by a ditch, however at the north end the digging remained unfinished.

Kennedy speculates that, despite being well-provisioned, the fortress may have surrendered been because its garrison was not large enough or possessed siege engines.

[4][7] Some time in the 1280s, the dissident Mamluk emir Sunqur al-Ashqar used the castle for refuge from Sultan Qalawun.

[7] In late 1286 and early 1287, Qalawun set out to repress his rivals which including curtailing Sunqur's independence.

A 16th century Chinese text's description of a "city with two walls" between Tartus and Aleppo seems to match the citadel Sahyun.

[11] During the Syrian Revolution which began in 2011 UNESCO voiced concerns that the conflict might lead to the damage of important cultural sites such as Citadel of Salah Ed-Din.