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One of Cairo's most popular tourist attractions is the Citadel, located on a spur of limestone
that had been detached from its parent Moqattam Hills by quarrying. The Citadel
is one of the world's greatest monuments to medieval warfare, as well as a
highly visible landmark on Cairo's eastern skyline. Particularly when
viewed from the back side (from the north), the Citadel reveals a very medieval character.
 The area where the Citadel is now located began it's life
not as a great military base of operations, but as the "Dome of the Wind", a pavilion created in
810 by Hatim Ibn Hartama, who was then governor. Indeed this area was well known
for its cool breeze. These early governors, not realizing its
strategic importance, simply used the pavilion for its view of Cairo. Between
1176 and 1183, Salah ad-Din (Saladin to Westerners 1171-1193 AD), an Abbasid
Ruler, fortified the area to protect it against attacks by the Crusaders, and since then, it has never
been without a military garrison. Originally it served as both a fortress and a
royal city.
 Legend has it that Salah ad-Din chose the site for its healthy
air. The story goes that he hung pieces of meat up all around
Cairo. Everywhere the meat spoilt within a day, with the exception
of the Citadel area where it remained fresh for several days. But in
reality this location provides a strategic advantage both to dominate
Cairo and to defend outside attackers. Salah ad-Din had come from
Syria where each town had some sort of fortress to act as a stronghold for
the local ruler so it was only natural that he would carry this custom to
Egypt.
Early Photograph of the Citadel
Salah ad-Din used the most modern fortress building techniques of that
time to construct the original Citadel. Great, round towers were
build protruding from the walls so that defenders could direct flanking
fire on those who might scale the walls. The walls themselves were ten
meters (30 ft) high and three meters (10 ft) thick.
Early Photo Showing the Citadel from the Back Side
The Bir Yusuf (Salah ad-Din's Well) was dug in order to supply the
occupants of the fortress with an inexhaustible supply of drinking
water. Some 87 meters (285 ft) deep, it was cut though solid rock
down to the water table. It is not simply a shaft. There is a
ramp large enough so that animals could descend into the well in order to
power the machinery that lifted the water. Regrettably, the well is closed
to tourists these days.
 Most of the fortification was built after Salah ad-Din's rule, being added to by
almost every invader including the British, some of whom destroyed much of what existed
before them.
After the death of Salah al-Din, his nephew, Al-Kamil, reinforced the
Citadel by enlarging several of the towers. Specifically, he encased
the Burg al-Haddad (Blacksmith's Tower) and the Burgar-Ramlab (Sand
Tower) making them fully three times larger. These two towers
controlled the narrow pass between the Citadel and the Muqattam hills. Al-Kamil
also built a number of great keeps (towers) around the perimeter of the
walls, three of which can still be seen overlooking the Citadel parking
area. These massive structures were square, up to 25 meters (80 ft)
tall and 30 meters (100 ft) wide. In 1218, upon the death of al-Kamil's
father, now Sultan al-Kamil moved his residence to the Citadel where he
built his palace in what is now the Southern Enclosure. While the palace
no longer exits, until
the construction of the Abdeen
Palace in the mid-19th century, it was the seat of government for
the Country of Egypt.
When the Mumluks finally overthrew the Ayyubid rulers in 1250, their
sultan Baybars al-Bunduqdari (1260-77) moved into al-Kamil's palace.
He isolated the palace compound by building a wall that divided the
fortress into two separate enclosures linked by the Bab (gate) al-Qullah.
The area where the palace once stood is referred to as the Southern
Enclosure, while the larger part of the Citadel proper is referred to as
the Northern Enclosure.
Fortification of the Northern Enclosure
An-Nasir Muhammad, an interesting Sultan of this era who ruled during
three separate periods (1294-1295, 1299-1309 and 1310-1341) tore down most
of the earlier buildings in the Southern Enclosure and replaced them with
considerably grander structures. Unfortunately, the only remaining
facility built by him is the An-Nasir Mohammed
Mosque. It was begun in 1318 and finished in 1355 and is located near the
enclosure gate. We also know that he built a great Hall of Justice with a
grand, green dome that towered above the other structures in the Southern
Enclosure. Beside it was built the Qasr al-Ablaq (Striped Palace)
with its black and yellow marble. This palace, used for official
ceremonies and conducting affairs of state, had a staircase leading down
to the Lower Enclosure and the Royal Stables where An-Nasir kept 4,800
horses.
The Ottomans controlled Egypt in one way or another between 1517 and
the early 20th century, except for a brief French
occupation. Much
of what we see of the Citadel actually dates from this period. The
Lower Enclosure where the stables of An-Nasir came to be known as the al-Azab
because some of the Ottoman soldiers, known as the Azab regiments, were
stationed in the Lower Enclosure. These soldiers were not allowed to
wed until after they retired, and in fact the word Azab can be translated
as "bachelor".
The Ottomans rebuilt the wall that separates the Northern and Southern
Enclosures, as well as the Bab al-Quallah. They also built the
largest tower in today's Citadel, the Burg al-Muqattam which rises above
the entrance to the Citadel off Salah Saalem Highway. This tower is
25 meters (80 ft) tall and has a diameter of 24 meters (79 ft). In 1754
the Ottomans rebuilt the walls of the Lower Enclosure and added a
fortified gate called the Bab el-Azab.
Bab el-Azab Between the Two Towers from an Early Photograph
From the late 16th century until the French occupation, the strict
military structure of the Ottoman soldiers gradually deteriorated.
During this period, the Azab troops began to marry, and were even allowed
to build their own housing within the fortress. By the mid 17th
century, the Citadel had become an enclosed residential district with
private shops and other commercial enterprises, as well as public baths
and a maze of small streets.
 The
Ottoman Muhammad Ali Pasha, one of the great builders of Modern Egypt, came to
power in 1805, and was responsible for considerable alteration and building
within the Citadel. He rebuilt much of the outer walls and replaced many
of the decaying interior buildings. He also reversed the roles of the
Northern and Southern Enclosures, making the Northern Enclosure his private
domain, while the Southern Enclosure was opened to the public. His Mohammed Ali Mosque
(see also),
built in the style called Ottoman Baroque that imitates the great religious
mosques of Istanbul, today dominates the Southern Enclosure
South of the Mosque in the Hawsh is the Gawharah
(Jewel) Palace. This structure was built between 1811 and 1814 and housed
the Egyptian government until it was later moved to the Abdeen Palace.
Today there is also a National Police Museum at the Citadel. It was built
over the site of the Mamluk Striped Palace just opposite the Mosque of an-Nasir
Muhammad. It has displays of law enforcement dating back to the dynastic
period. However, in 1983 a hall from the Striped Palace was discovered
buried deep beneath rubble, and can be seen at the southern end of this terrace.
The terrace also provides a wonderful view of Cairo.
Just through the Bab al-Qullah in the Northern Enclosure one finds Muhammad
Ali's Harem Palace that
was built in the same Ottoman style as the Jewel Palace. The statue in
front is of Ibrahim Pasha by Charles Cordier. The Palace served as a
family residence for the Khedive  until
the government was moved to Abdeen Palace. It was a military hospital
during the British occupation and was only returned to Egyptian control after
World War II. Since 1949, it has been the Military Museum
of Egypt (founded by King Faruq). While the Museum has many artifacts
illustrating warfare in Egypt, one of the most interesting attractions is the
Summer Room. This room contains an elaborate system of marble fountains,
basins and channels meant as a cooling system, and is probably the last such
example in Cairo. In the livery court behind the carriage gate of the museum is
a statue of Sulayman Pasha that originally stood in the city center. Just beyond
this museum is a small Carriage Museum in what was
the British Officer's mess until 1946. Borrowed from the larger Carriage
Museum in Bulaq, it contains eight carriages used by the Muhammad Ali
family. Just behind this museum is the Burg at-Turfah (Masterpiece Tower),
one of the largest of the square towers built by al-Kamil in 1207.
Near the far end of the Northern Enclosure is the Suleyman Pasha Mosque.
It was the first Ottoman style mosque built in Egypt and dates from 1528.
It was built to serve the early Ottoman troops.
Today the Citadel is one of Egypt main attractions and is often the most
popular non-pharaonic monuments. One may walk through time here, from the
medieval era onward. In addition, many other wonderful Islamic structures are
nearby. For those with a little extra energy, a walk from the Citadel to the
Khan el-Khalili is a delightful experiences.
Map of the Citadel
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