Islamic heritage · Cairo
Citadel of Saladin
A medieval fortress begun by Saladin in 1176 on a spur of the Muqattam hills, crowned by the Ottoman-style Muhammad Ali Mosque and offering sweeping views over Cairo.
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The story
Saladin began the Citadel in 1176 on a rocky spur of the Muqattam hills to protect the city and house the seat of government; the work was completed under his nephew al-Kamil, who made it a royal residence in the early 13th century. From then on Ayyubid, Mamluk, Ottoman and later rulers lived and governed here, each leaving a mark, with the Mamluk golden age under al-Nasir Muhammad ibn Qalawun, who built his mosque here in 1318. In the 19th century Muhammad Ali Pasha rebuilt much of the site after the 1811 massacre of the Mamluk leaders, and raised his Ottoman-style mosque between about 1830 and 1848. The Citadel remained Egypt's seat of power for roughly seven centuries, until its rulers moved to Abdeen Palace in the 1870s.
Good to know
- Joseph's Well is cut into solid rock with a spiral staircase and is roughly 85 to 90 metres deep depending on the source; Saladin commissioned it and his vizier Baha al-Din Qaraqush built it.
- The Muhammad Ali Mosque took the Sultan Ahmed Mosque in Istanbul as its model and is nicknamed the Alabaster Mosque for its marble-clad walls.
- Each of the Muhammad Ali Mosque's twin minarets rises above 80 metres, among the tallest in Egypt.
- The mosque's copper clock tower was a gift from France's King Louis Philippe in 1845, reciprocating the Egyptian obelisk that now stands in Place de la Concorde in Paris.
- The Citadel is part of Historic Cairo, inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1979.
Visiting tips
According to the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, the Citadel is open daily 8:00 to 17:00 and includes the Muhammad Ali Mosque, the al-Nasir Muhammad Mosque, Al-Gawhara Palace Museum, the Military Museum and the Police Museum. Hours and ticket prices change, so please check before visiting.