 Krak des Chevaliers ( French pronunciation : ​ [ kʁak de ʃəvaˈlje ] ; Arabic : حصن الفرسان ) , also Crac des Chevaliers , Ḥoṣn al @-@ Akrād ( حصن الأكراد ) , Castle Alhsn , formerly Crac de l 'Ospital , is a Crusader castle in Syria and one of the most important preserved medieval castles in the world . The site was first inhabited in the 11th century by a settlement of Kurdish troops dispatched there by the Mirdasids ; as a result it was known as Hisn al @-@ Akrad , meaning the " Castle of the Kurds " . In 1142 it was given by Raymond II , Count of Tripoli , to the Knights Hospitaller . It remained in their possession until it fell in 1271 . It became known as Crac de l 'Ospital ; the name Krak des Chevaliers was coined in the 19th century . 
