Crac des Chevaliers

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A Survivor Of The Crusades Comes Up Against The Syrian Civil War

An artist's rendering of the Crac des Chevaliers in Syria. UNESCO says the fortress "was built by the Hospitaller Order of Saint John of Jerusalem from 1142 to 1271." Hulton Archive/Getty Images hide caption

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Hulton Archive/Getty Images

The Two-Way

A Survivor Of The Crusades Comes Up Against The Syrian Civil War

May 5, 2014 • The Crac des Chevaliers withstood a siege by the Muslim warrior Saladin during the Crusades nearly a thousand years ago, but the citadel has become a casualty of Syria's 3-year-old conflict.