Fortress Of Niha
Carved into the rock of a cliff overlooking the Bisri and 'Aray valley, the Fortress of Niha overlooks the road between Sidon and the Beqaa valley. It was first mentioned in 975 AD and then again in 1133. Control over the fortress alternated between the Crusaders and local Muslims until its destruction in 1261. In 1270, the Mamluk leader Baibars ordered it rebuilt. In 1585, the Emir Qorqomaz Maan probably took refuge in it briefly before his death. It is alleged that the Emir Fakhr-al-Din II also found refuge there before he was executed by the Pasha of Damascus in 1635, but it might more probably have been his father Emir Korkomaz, in 1584.
Shaped like a cave over a hundred meters deep, the fortress features chambers and rooms which were excavated in order to shelter soldiers and as depots for domestic work.
See also
References
- ^ "Niha (Chouf) - Localiban". Archived from the original on 2023-10-14. Retrieved 2013-03-08.
- Shouf Biosphere Reserve official brochure, as available in March 2013).