Qal'at Ja'bar

Qal'at Ja'bar
قلعة جعبر
Caber Kalesi
Qal'at Dawsar (ancient name)
Raqqa Governorate, Syria
Qal'at Ja'bar from the north, surrounded by the waters of Lake Assad
One of the bastions of Qal'at Ja'bar
Qal'at Ja'bar is located in Syria
Qal'at Ja'bar
Qal'at Ja'bar
Coordinates35°53′51″N 38°28′51″E / 35.8975°N 38.480833°E / 35.8975; 38.480833
TypeCastle
Site information
Open to
the public
Yes
ConditionPartially restored ruin
Site history
Built1168 (1168)
Built byNur ad-Din Zangi
MaterialsStone and brick

Qal'at Ja'bar (Arabic: قلعة جعبر, Turkish: Caber Kalesi) is a castle on the left bank of Lake Assad in Raqqa Governorate, Syria. Its site, formerly a prominent hill-top overlooking the Euphrates Valley, is now an island in Lake Assad that can only be reached by an artificial causeway. Although the hilltop on which the castle sits was possibly already fortified in the 7th century, the current structures are primarily the work of Nur ad-Din, who rebuilt the castle from 1168 onwards. Since 1965, several excavations have been carried out in and around the castle, as well as restoration works of the walls and towers. The castle was a Turkish exclave between 1921 and 1973.