Described as a "majestic structure" by D. J. Cathcart King, this tower is the best preserved out of a total of 12. It is a lofty edifice in a virtually perfect condition. The author found it quite difficult to access the place "owing to the suspicious habits of the N.C.O.s of the gendarmerie who had their quarters there and kept the door locked."
The attached photos by Herzfeld are from 1914. The view on the left is from east to west, with the roofs of Sūq al-Ḥamīdīyyā on the left and the curtain connecting Towers 3 and 4 on the right. The second photo is of the west face of Tower 3 with a closeup view of the bretèche with the arrowslits.
Easily identified are multilevel loopholes, which, along with those of Tower 4 located further east, were designed to subject the attackers to a crossfire of arrows from right and left, in addition to the projectiles hurled from the curtain separating the two towers.
Attached is a plan of the Citadel for the exact location of Tower 3 and the adjoining structures.
D. J. Cathcart King. The Defences of the Citadel of Damascus; a Great Mohammedan Fortress of the Time of the Crusades. Archaeologia, Volume XCIV, 1951 (p 57-96).
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