Citadel of Qaitbay in Alexandria, Egypt “Qaitbay Fort” | Islamic Egyptian Antiquities
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Citadel of Qaitbay Facts
Qaitbay Citadel in Alexandria is considered one of the famous historical citadels and the most important Islamic archaeological sites in Egypt, due to the events that it witnessed.
Therefore, we present to you below a set of information that you should know about the citadel, such as the time of construction and who ordered its construction..
Where is Qaitbay Citadel located?
The castle is located at the end of an island called Pharos in the far west of Alexandria..
Who owns Qaitbay Citadel?
Sultan Ashraf Abu al-Nasr Qaitbay was the one who ordered the construction of the citadel..
When did the construction of the castle begin and when did it end?
The construction of the castle began in the year 882 AH, and was completed in the year 884 AH..
What is the reason behind building Qaitbay Citadel?
Egypt was facing many direct threats from the Ottoman Empire, so the Sultan was interested in building a fortified castle to protect Egypt..
Description of Qaitbay Citadel
The castle was built on the ruins of the ancient Lighthouse of Alexandria, which was destroyed in 702 AD as a result of a devastating earthquake..
Sultan Qaitbay visited in 882 AH and headed to the site of the lighthouse. He ordered the soldiers to build a castle on the foundation of the lighthouse, a tower which was called Qaitbay’s Tabia..
The tower was completed in just two years from the start of construction..
Some of the ancient stones used for the lighthouse were from the ruins of Ancient Egypt civilization, including Memphis and Thebes..
But then another order was issued by the Sultan to build the Qaitbay Citadel so that he could confront threats and protect Egypt..
The castle is square in shape with an area of 150 x 130 meters..
The castle is surrounded by the sea on three sides..
The castle has surrounding walls in addition to a main tower located on the northwestern side..
Qaitbay Citadel has an inner wall that includes the soldiers’ barracks in addition to the weapons stores, and there is a comprehensive outer wall that includes the four sides of the citadel and defensive towers..
There is a wall in the east that contains a set of openings especially for the possibility of defending against enemies and protecting soldiers..
The main tower of the castle is located in the inner courtyard and takes the shape of a castle, i.e. the tower is square in shape and its side length is 30 meters and its height is 17 meters..
The castle consists of three square floors, and in the corner of each tower there is a semi-circle ending with protruding balconies..
The main tower was designed with openings so that soldiers could shoot arrows..
On the first floor is the Citadel Mosque, which consists of the Citadel Mosque. This mosque contains a courtyard and defensive passages for soldiers to pass through..
The second floor also contains corridors and interior chambers as well as halls..
The third floor is the seat of Sultan Qaitbay so that he can see the ships..
Sultans’ interest in the castle throughout the ages
During the Mamluk era, Sultan Qansuh al-Ghouri was one of the sultans who cared about the castle, and he even worked to supply it with weapons and equipment..
When the Ottomans conquered Egypt, they used Qaitbay Citadel as a center for their protection, and they even placed a large group of knights, artillery, and garrisons in it..
When Muhammad Ali Pasha ruled Egypt, he ordered Egypt to be fortified in an impregnable manner. He even ordered the army to renew the walls of the citadel, and he even developed the defense..
Following the Ahmed Orabi Revolution in 1882, the citadel was destroyed and some cracks occurred in it, but in 1904, the Committee for the Preservation of Arab Monuments ordered its restoration again..
Qaitbay Citadel is the best place to go out in Alexandria in the morning
From the inside, the history of the establishment of the most important places to go out in Alexandria and the Islamic monuments in Alexandria, Egypt.
Information and details about the castle, visiting hours, ticket prices to enter, how to get there, and more to start your trip to the tourist attractions in Egypt.
The most important archaeological sites and places to go out in Alexandria, cultural and heritage tourism in Egypt, Alexandria tourism.
Qaitbay Citadel was built during the reign of Sultan Ashraf Abu al-Nasr Qaitbay al-Mahmoudi in 1480 AD corresponding to 884 AH in the Egyptian style to protect Egypt from the aggression of the Ottoman Turks.
Then Sultan Muhammad Ali Pasha renovated the citadel between 1805 and 1848 AD.
The Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities was interested in restoring the citadel more than once with the same type of stones used in construction, especially after part of it was destroyed in the 1882 AD war..
The most important places to go out in Alexandria for tourism and archaeological sites in the city of Alexandria, in addition to knowing the price of the ticket to enter the castle, working hours, visits, and more for everything you want to know when visiting the archaeological site and visiting the Library of Alexandria from the inside
Located in the far west of Alexandria, is a smaller version of the famous Qaitbay Fort, which was the first to confront the French campaign in Egypt at the end of the eighteenth century, and which was built by the Mamluk Sultan Ashraf Abu al-Nasr Saif al-Din Qaitbay..
About Qaitbay Citadel Alexandria
The castle is surrounded by the sea on three sides and includes a main tower in the northwestern side, in addition to places for storing weapons, barracks for soldiers, and an external wall containing defensive towers and defensive openings in the eastern wall of the castle..
The castle was designed in a square shape with an area of 130 meters by 150 meters, where the length of each side is 30 meters and the height is 17 meters. It was built on 3 floors in the same square shape..
On the first floor you will see a mosque which consists of a courtyard and 4 iwans in addition to corridors for soldiers. There was a minaret but it was destroyed and dilapidated..
When you go up to the second floor of Qaitbay Citadel, you will find corridors, private rooms inside, and meeting halls. Then, on the third floor, we find a large room containing Sultan Qaitbay’s seat, where Sultan Qaitbay used to sit on the chair to see the warships, a full day’s journey away, coming to Alexandria..
On the third floor you will find some equipment for preparing food for the soldiers and the Sultan such as a bakery, a small oven and a mill.
Qaitbay Citadel in Alexandria from the inside The most beautiful places to go out in Alexandria for families
You will find Qaitbay Citadel at the top of the lighthouse and at the top of the summit you will find the statue of the god of the seas “Poseidon” known to the Greeks and Hellenes. The lighthouse was destroyed several times due to the earthquake of 702 AD and then in 1375 AD..
The stones of the ancient Alexandria Lighthouse were used in building the castle, and information indicates that the lighthouse was built with the same type of building stones from the ancient Egyptian civilization in Memphis..
Many eras have passed through Qaitbay Citadel, such as the Mamluk era during the reign of Sultan Qansuh al-Ghouri, and then the Ottoman era, where it was used to protect Egypt from the north..
But with the weakening of the Ottoman Empire, the French leader Napoleon Bonaparte was able to seize the entire castle in 1798 AD, and then it was the gateway to the French campaign to colonize Egypt, then Sultan Muhammad Ali Pasha restored the castle in the nineteenth century AD.
Facts
Then the British occupation of Egypt destroyed large parts of the castle in 1882 AD, and then the cracks in it were restored in 1904 AD under the supervision of the Egyptian Antiquities Preservation Committee affiliated with the Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities and Culture..
Qaitbay Fortress is the most famous landmark of Alexandria throughout history. It is a limestone castle, directly on the seashore, in the place of the ancient Lighthouse of Alexandria at the eastern end of Pharos Island in the late Mamluk era..
Before Qaitbay Citadel was redeveloped and improved by Muhammad Ali, it was brought back to life after being destroyed by the British during their invasion of Egypt at the end of the nineteenth century..
When the Ottomans conquered Egypt, they used this castle as a place for their garrison and were concerned with preserving it. They placed in it groups of infantry, cavalry, artillery and various garrisons to defend it and then defend Egypt’s gateway on the northern coast.
What do you see when you visit?
Qaitbay Citadel overlooks a wonderful view of the city and the Mediterranean Sea, which allows you to take a wonderful collection of photos. You can also see inside the citadel a number of monuments dating back to the Mamluk era..
The Qaitbay Citadel takes the shape of a square from the inside, with an area of 150m x 130m, surrounded by the sea on three sides. This citadel contains walls and the main tower. The walls are divided into an inner wall and an outer wall..
The inner wall includes barracks for soldiers and weapons stores, and in the outer wall you can see defensive towers on all four sides that rise to the level of the wall, with the exception of the eastern wall, which includes defensive openings for soldiers. The main tower in the inner courtyard takes the form of a large square castle, with a side length of 30 meters and a height of 17 meters..
When you visit Qaitbay Citadel, you can inspect three floors located at the four corners of the tower, through semi-circular towers that end at the top with prominent balconies that include openings for shooting arrows on two levels..
The first floor of the main castle contains the castle mosque, which consists of a courtyard, four iwans, and defensive corridors that allow soldiers to pass easily during the castle’s defense operations..
The second floor contains corridors, halls and internal rooms, and the third floor, which represents a large room (the seat of Sultan Qait Bay), where he sits to watch the ships coming a day’s journey from Alexandria, is covered by a cross vault..
Qaitbay Citadel address in Alexandria Governorate
Qaitbay Citadel is located in the western corner of Alexandria Governorate, in the Anfoushi district of the governorate, and can be visited through Google Maps..
Entrance ticket prices
The ticket prices for Qaitbay Citadel are 20 Egyptian pounds per person for Egyptians and Arabs, and 5 Egyptian pounds for Egyptian students..
The entrance ticket price for foreigners is 60 pounds, and for foreign student tourists it is only 30 pounds..
Qaitbay Citadel Visiting Hours
Qaitbay Citadel visiting hours start daily from 9 am to 6 pm.
Visiting hours
Qaitbay Citadel is open every day of the week from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm..
Entrance ticket price
The entrance ticket price is 60 pounds for an Egyptian adult and 30 pounds for an Egyptian student..
address
Al-Sayala East Customs Department – Alexandria – Egypt.
Note: Facts and secrets of the history will be added soon…
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Citadel of Qaitbay in Alexandria, Egypt “Qaitbay Fort” | facts, history, entrance fee
