The only significant island off Syria’s coast with a well-protected harbour, Arwad has been an important port for millennia. Today a fishing village famed for its sea-food restaurants, the small island houses two castles of the Crusader period. The Templar fort is open as a museum. From this foothold, the Crusaders held on for another 100 years after they were expelled from their mainland possessions (including neighbouring Tartus) in 1291.