Muslim Fortresses in the Levant: Between Crusaders and Mongols (24 page)

The last Ayyubid building phase at
was carried out in 637/1239–40, while the amir Mubāriz al-Dīn Khutlukh
was governor of the fortress and al-Malik
, son of
, was the ruler of Banias (r. 630/1233–644/1247). Humphreys has suggested that a few years after the death of
(624/1227) Banias had turned into a quasi-principality acting as a client state.
¹³⁰
Construction in this last phase was supervised by the great amir (amir kabīr)
, a eunuch who served al-Malik
Dāwūd in 629/1231–2.
¹³¹
He was put in charge of building both the reservoir and the archers’ galleries that were added in the southwest corner. The inscription, which bears the names of the ruler of Banias, the fortress governor and the eunuch is placed above the
sabīl
(drinking fountain) built outside the semi-covered pool.
¹³²

The information provided by the sources concerning the initial building of Qal’at
is relatively scarce; construction dates are given in several of the inscriptions found on the site.

J
the site supervisor

¹³³

(1) Ordered the restoration of this Al-Malik
al-Dunyā wa’l-Dīn, under the supervision of his brother al-Malik (2)
Sayf al-Dīn. Its construction was supervised by the amir
al-Dīn Barghash
(3) and its construction ended in Dhu
in the year 578/February1183.
¹³⁴