The castle is thought to have been built by the Mamluks in the 13th centuryWarwick Ball, Syria: A Historical and Architectural Guide, 1994. . p. 228 on a high hill overlooking the historic site of Palmyra, and is named for the Druze emir Fakhr-al-Din II, who extended the Druze domains to the region of Palmyra during the 16th century.
