Qal'at NajmThe Euphrates, Manbij العربية
A vaulted corridor, the doorway at its far end the only light in it
Directorate-General of Antiquities and Museums

Inside the castle·Ayyubid

The Vaulted Passage

From the gate a single great vault climbs into the castle, with rooms opening off it the whole way.

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From
The gateway, climbing inward
Rooms
Opening on both sides
Above
Two further floors, vaulted on piers
Between wings
Long, high corridors

Once through the bends, a large vaulted passage runs up from the gateway into the body of the castle, with chambers opening on both sides along its length. Above it stand two more floors of vaulted rooms carried on piers.

Long, high-ceilinged corridors join the wings to one another. They are the reason the castle can be held by a small number of people: you can move under cover from any part of it to any other without appearing in the open.

The restored stretches show what the whole was: pointed barrel vaults in fine ashlar, running far enough that the far end is a point of light.