Things to see and do Qalaat Jaber - Qalaat Jaabar

A 30 minutes'boat from the Qal Jaber, another island was born during the construction of the Assad dam below. There, no ruins to visit, but the opportunity to make a diving in the turquoise waters of the Euphrates, far from prying eyes…

Ask Houssein, the head of the restaurant at the foot of the Qal Jaber, to know the owner of the boat and to call him upon request.

The fortifications, which literally dress the limestone hill on which the fortress is built, are the most impressive parts of the whole. Brick work was strongly restored during the campaign to rescue the antiquities of the Euphrates.

The double wall is equipped with 35 towers of different shapes: square, octagonal, semi-circular… The brick, according to a well-represented mesopotamian use in Simoen, was used both for defence and decoration. To visit the interior of the citadel, deep in ruins, there is a vaulted passage.

On the summit, at 347 m altitude, stands a circular minaret also in brick, only remains of an extinct mosque.

The tower of the citadel offers an extraordinary circular view on the lake and the dam. Do not hesitate to swim if the heart tells you, the water is crystal clear and the site charming. After the desert, this immense expanse of water cools minds and bodies. The recommendations for the beach are of course the same here, especially if there is a world.