# Maniqa

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Castle in Syria

Maniqa قلعة المنيقة Near Baniyas, Syria Site information Condition Ruin Location Maniqa Coordinates 35°15′07″N 36°05′41″E / 35.251988°N 36.094855°E / 35.251988; 36.094855 Site history Built 1028 Built by Nasr ibn Musharraf al-Rawadifi

**Maniqa** ([Arabic](/source/Arabic_language): المنيقة) is a castle located in the [Syrian Coastal Mountain Range](/source/Syrian_Coastal_Mountain_Range), dated back to the Roman era, it was also known as "Malikas" or "Malghanes" during the Crusader rule.

## History

In 1028, Byzantine [doux](/source/Megas_doux) of [Antioch](/source/Antioch) [Michael Spondyles](/source/Michael_Spondyles) was tricked by the Arab tribal leader [Nasr ibn Musharraf al-Rawadifi](/source/Nasr_ibn_Musharraf_al-Rawadifi) to construct a fortress at Maniqa from where he would defend the Byzantine domains. Michael agreed and even sent a 1,000-strong garrison there, but when the fortress was finished, Nasr refused to hand it over, and with assistance from the qadi of [Tripoli](/source/Tripoli%2C_Lebanon) and the local [Fatimid](/source/Fatimid) commander, he killed the garrison.[1][2] In 1030, Byzantine Emperor [Romanos III Argyros](/source/Romanos_III_Argyros) ordered [Niketas of Mistheia](/source/Niketas_of_Mistheia), doux of Antioch, to recapture Maniqa from al-Rawadifi.[3] Niketas managed to control the fort in 1031 after a 13-day siege, in which he also captured Nasr's wife and four daughters, who were abandoned to their fate.[4] Niketas then secured the region by 1032.[5]

In 1118 or 1119, [Rainald I Masoir](/source/Rainald_I_Masoir) persuaded the commander of [Margat](/source/Margat) from [Banu Muhriz](/source/Banu_Muhriz) to surrender the fortress to him, along with the nearby forts Maniqa, [Qulay'a](/source/Qulay'a) and [Hadid](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Hadid_Castle&action=edit&redlink=1).[6]

During the mid-12th century the [Assassins](/source/Order_of_Assassins) captured or acquired several fortresses in the Syrian Coastal Mountain Range including Maniqa. For the most part, the Assassins maintained full control over these fortresses until 1270–73 when the [Mamluk](/source/Mamluk_Sultanate_(Cairo)) sultan [Baibars](/source/Baibars) annexed them.[7]

## References

1. **[^](#cite_ref-1)** John Skylitzes, *Synopsis of Histories*, 379.59–69

1. **[^](#cite_ref-2)** [Yahya of Antioch](/source/Yahya_of_Antioch), 502

1. **[^](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEBuryGwatkin1964257_3-0)** [Bury & Gwatkin 1964](#CITEREFBuryGwatkin1964), p. 257.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-4)** John Skylitzes, *Synopsis of Histories*, 383.91–93

1. **[^](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTETheotokisMeško2020256_5-0)** [Theotokis & Meško 2020](#CITEREFTheotokisMeško2020), p. 256.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEAsbridge200073,_161_6-0)** [Asbridge 2000](#CITEREFAsbridge2000), pp. 73, 161.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTERaphael2011106_7-0)** [Raphael 2011](#CITEREFRaphael2011), p. 106.

## Sources

- [Asbridge, Thomas](/source/Thomas_Asbridge) (2000). [*The Creation of the Principality of Antioch, 1098–1130*](https://archive.org/details/creationofprinci00thom). The Boydell Press. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-0-85115-661-3](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0-85115-661-3).

- Bury, John Bagnell; Gwatkin, Henry Melvill (1964). *The Cambridge Medieval History: The rise of the Saracens and the foundation of the Western empire*. University Press.

- Raphael, Kate (2011). [*Muslim Fortresses in the Levant: Between Crusaders and Mongols*](https://books.google.com/books?id=dfJN1UicpRoC&q=Qadmous+Mamluk). Taylor & Francis US. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-0-415-56925-5](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0-415-56925-5).

- Theotokis, Georgios; Meško, Marek (2020). *War in Eleventh-Century Byzantium*. Routledge. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [9780429576881](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/9780429576881).

v t e Castles in Syria Abu Qubays Aleika Castle Castle of al-Al Al-Sheikh Deeb Castle Areimeh Castle Bani Qahtan Castle Bourzey castle Burj al-Sabi Chastel Blanc Chastel Rouge Krak des Chevaliers Citadel of Aleppo Citadel of Damascus Citadel of Homs Citadel of Raqqa Hama Castle Al-Kahf Castle Khariba Castle Khawabi Maniqa Castle Margat Masyaf Castle Montferrand Nimrod Castle Palmyra Castle Qal'at Ja'bar Qal'at Najm Qalaat al-Madiq Qasr al-Hayr al-Gharbi Qasr al-Hayr al-Sharqi Qasr Ibn Wardan Qulay'a Castle Al-Rahba Sahyun Castle Shayzar Castle Shmemis Qalaat al-Shaghur Qal'at Sukkara Citadel of Tartus

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Maniqa](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maniqa) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maniqa?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.