Kázmér and Major (2015:187) attributed the major damage to the donjon of Safita Castle to the 1202 CE earthquakes based on indirect reasoning. They noted that stylistic arguments from art history place the construction of the donjon in the 12th century, corresponding to early Gothic architectural traditions. A letter from Philipe Du Plessis reports that in 1202 a great tower at Chastel Blanc (Safita) was severely damaged by an earthquake, specifically stating "At Chastel Blanc, most of the walls collapsed, and the main tower, which we thought to have been built with outstanding strength and solidity, was so badly cracked and damaged that it would have been better for us if it had completely collapsed instead of being left standing in such state." By 1212, however, Wilbrand of Oldenbourg described the tower as being in good and strong condition, suggesting either that de Plessis had overstated the original damage or that it had been successfully repaired within a decade. Archaeological evidence shows Crusader-period repairs and modifications to the Gothic hall, including the installation of a window for a church bell. No major earthquakes are known to have struck the area between 1202 and 1271, when Muslim forces captured Safita, after which the fortress declined in strategic importance and likely saw little maintenance until the 20th century. Although the written evidence is fragmentary, when considered together it supports the conclusion that the primary destruction of the Safita donjon occurred during the earthquake of 1202 CE.