Arzghan

Arzghan (also known as Arcicanum) was a castle located at the foothills of Ǧabal al-Wasṭānī in Harim Mountains, on the eastern bank of the Orontes River near Tell Kašfahān (Rugia), opposite of Jisr al-Shughour.

Not to be confused with Arzaqan.
Arzghan
Jisr al-Shughur District, Syria
1935 aerial view of the castle
Coordinates35°49′50″N 36°20′33″E
TypeCastle
Site information
Open to
the public		Yes
ConditionRuined

History

Ralph of Caen reported that Tancred had conquered the region to the southeast of Antioch and that Raymond of Toulouse hold Arzghan and other town in the Ruj Valley in the summer of 1098.[1] Meanwhile, William of Tyre recorded that Tancred made Pons of Tripoli promise to marry Cecile of France, and offered her the fortresses of Arzghan and Rugia as a dowry, before his death in 1112.[2] Later on, Pons launched a series of attacks against Fulk, King of Jerusalem and his allies from the Antiochene fortresses Arzghan and Rugia.[3] Fulk attacked Pons near Rugia in late 1132,[4] in which the latter suffered a heavy defeat. Although many of his retainers were captured on the battlefield, he was able to flee.[4][5] However, he lost his rule over both Arzghan and Rugia.[6] The region which was defended by the Knights Hospitaller,[7] was occupied by Nur ad-Din who dismantled the fortress at Arzghan in 1162/3,[8] but it was later restored under Saladin.[9] In 1192, Bohemond III of Antioch was bestowed Arzghan and its farms, whose produce was worth 15,000 dinars, by Saladin, according to Baha ad-Din ibn Shaddad,[10] and the two parties signed a ten-year truce.[11]

Nowadays, there is no longer any trace of the castle, only a ruined caravanserai and a village still retains the name.[9]

References
  1. Asbridge 2000, p. 30.
  2. Hodgson 2007, p. 217.
  3. Lewis 2017, pp. 107–108.
  4. Lewis 2017, p. 108.
  5. Lock 2006, p. 41.
  6. Lewis 2017, pp. 108, 112.
  7. Riley-Smith 2015, p. 131.
  8. Buck 2017, p. 45.
  9. "II. Topographie historique". OpenEdition Books (in French).
  10. Wilson 2016, p. 38.
  11. Lock 2006, p. 79.

Sources
  • Asbridge, Thomas S. (2000). The creation of the principality of Antioch, 1098-1130. The Boydell Press. ISBN 9780851156613.
  • Buck, Andrew D. (2017). The Principality of Antioch and Its Frontiers in the Twelfth Century. The Boydell Press. ISBN 9781783271733.
  • Hodgson, Natasha R. (2007). Women, Crusading and the Holy Land in Historical Narrative. The Boydell Press.
  • Lewis, Kevin James (2017). The Counts of Tripoli and Lebanon in the Twelfth Century: Sons of Saint-Gilles. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-4724-5890-2.
  • Lock, Peter (2006). The Routledge Companion to the Crusades. Routledge. ISBN 978-0-415-39312-6.
  • Riley-Smith, Jonathan (2015). Knights of St.John in Jerusalem and Cyprus. Palgrave Macmillan UK. ISBN 9781349152414.
  • Wilson, Samuel James (2016). The Latin Principality of Antioch and Its Relationship with the Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia, 1188-1268. Nottingham Trent University.
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