The Crusaders built the castle during the XII century and it was reshaped during the Ayyubids, the Mamluks and the Ottoman periods. The Crusaders’ target was to cut Egypt off from Syria and to control the Red Sea trade at the expense of the Muslims. But the Crusaders could not resist due to the defeat at Hittin. Salah Eldin took the fortress in 1189 after a siege lasting a year and a half.