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.