Cultural

Citadel of Raymond de Saint-Gilles

The Citadel of Raymond de Saint-Gilles, also known as Qala’at Sanjil and Qala’at Tarablus in Arabic, is a citadel and fort on a hilltop in Tripoli.

It takes its name from Raymond de Saint-Gilles, the Count of Toulouse and Crusader commander who was a key player in its enlargement. It is a common misconception that he was responsible for its construction when in 1103 he laid siege to the city. But the citadel’s original builder was the Arabian military commander Sefyan bin Moujib al Azadi in 636.