Salah El Din Citadel Taba in South Sinai, Egypt | Facts Castle of Saladin in Pharaoh’s Island, History Salah El-Din Fortress, Map, Entrance Fees, opening hours and more.

The history and facts of the construction of the most important archaeological castles on the island of Pharaoh, what are the working hours, the price of the entrance ticket and more.

Salah El-Din Castle is located in Taba at the head of the Gulf of Aqaba, as it is located in the middle of an atoll, and this hall is an area designated only for diving.

It is also located specifically in Sinai, at a distance from the Ras Muhammad area, where that fortress is approximately 250 m from the beloved Sinai beach, and 10 km away from the port of Aqaba.

Name and area of ​​the castle

The island of Pharaoh, on which the castle of Salah al-Deban is located, was called by several names, including the island of Coral, in addition to the island of Gray, and the people of Sinai sometimes called it three names: the castle, the castle or the village, and its area is approximately 325 m from the north to the south, and its area Also, approximately 60 m from east to west.

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Salah El Din Citadel Taba

Exactly why was this castle built?

Al-Nasir Salah al-Din had realized the importance of the location in which the island groove is located, which is the strategic location, after passing it through the direct crescent of his campaign against the cities of the Levant in the year 567 AH 1171 CE and from Qom he succeeded in establishing his famous castle on it.

Design and build Salah El Din Citadel Taba

● This great fortress was built of igneous stone or granite, which is the stone taken almost from the castle quarry, which is still present today in the middle of the northern fortification area.
● Also, that famous castle was built over two very large hills in a specific place, one of them is a very large northern hill and the other is a southern hill, and there was a large plain in the middle between them.
● Each of them was a large fortification but was only self-contained and at the same time was able to carry out defensive operations in the event of any siege.
● They were surrounded from the outside by an external wall that was present as the first line of defense for that famous castle, as a number of water tanks had been dug inside the rock, and then all possible protection and means of subsistence were available in that castle.

El-Gendi Fortress

The date of the establishment of the fortress of Ras Raya in Sinai in Egypt, built by Sultan Salah Edin Al-Ayubi and known as the  Fortress of Al-Arish, Nuweiba what is its own architectural conception, ticket prices, opening hours and more.

The fortress is one of the most important Tourist Attractions in South Sinai & archaeological heritage tourist sites in Egypt tourism in South Sinai, the most important tourist places and archaeological shrines in South Sinai in addition to knowing the prices of entrance tickets and the hours of work of the castle and the visit of the sacred tree.

One of the most important and popular tourist attractions in South Sinai Province, the Ras Raya Fortress, about 8 km south of the city of Sinai.

This name was given to this fortress due to the presence of the mausoleum of Sheikh Raya and was revealed during the routine works of the area, which included the archaeological study of a rectangular area of 1200 meters to the west and 1200 to the east, 750 to the north and 1000 meters to the south.

The monuments of South Sinai  – About Sheikh Raya

Sheikh Raya is one of the leaders of the Sufi groups, and the fortress was built on the ruins of his tomb, which is topped by a dome, and is called a    mausoleum, where the people of the Sinai region and the surrounding inhabitants considered him one of God’s good saints.

The people of Sinai call their guardians the prophet, and near the monastery of St. Catherine we find the mausoleum of Aaron and the mausoleum of the prophet Saleh, tombs that do not contain the bodies of the prophets well known to God, but buried in the mausoleum of Aaron, for example, an ancient Bedouin, and the one who is buried in the mausoleum of the prophet Saleh is Sheikh Saleh, a Bedouin Sheikh.

The same goes for Sheikh Raya Castle, which was built on the tomb of one of God’s righteous saints, Sheikh Raya, the Sufi sheikh who lived, died, and was buried in Sinai, and his tomb is located below this fortress. 

Details of the Fortress of El-Gendi:  

Located in the city of Tor Sinai,  the  fortress  of  Ras Raya directly overlooks the Gulf of Suez, including the Raya Mosque, a small mosque 22 m long and 12 m wide, where the house of prayer consists of a rectangular room not divided into arcades and there is no open-air courtyard in the middle covered with a flat roof and divided into three parts of the first part of the house of prayer in the northeastern part, which is a rectangular courtyard 12 m long 8 m wide.

The second part, the central part consisting of a rectangular area 12 m long 6 m wide and includes the dome of the mausoleum of Sheikh Jilani on the southeast side, the minaret on the northwest side, a simple minaret of a balcony and the third part on the south side-west and includes two rooms,  one  for the mosque server and the other served as a warehouse.

Unlike the small mosque, the citadel was used as a military fortress, where Sinai throughout its history was the land of many military forts, and throughout its history defeated    all invaders.

The Fortress of Ras Raya, one of the most important of these forts, was located 200 meters from the coast and 10 meters above sea level.

The square ribbed fort is planned from 78 to 78.5 m and has a fence interspersed with seven defensive towers as well as entrance towers and a fort.

Hours of visit

Ras Raya Castle can be visited from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm.

 

The relics in that castle

● That fortress contained a number of defensive facilities from the walls and towers in that place, in addition to the presence of a furnace dedicated only to weapons manufacturing operations, and at the same time there is a large meeting room, but it is a war hall.
● There are a number of food items for the soldiers, but they are in the heart of the soldiers’ rooms from the inside, with a large oven dedicated only to bread and a number of grain stores. There is also a steam bath and a number of water tanks.
● There is also a mosque in the castle, which was established by Prince Hussam Al-Din Bagel bin Hamdan.
● It also includes a large number of Byzantine facilities located in it, including a large lighthouse located on the southern hill that was established by the famous emperor at that time and established in the sixth century AD.
● after was established to succeed in guiding the coming merchant ships in the Gulf of Aqaba region to be able to serve the Byzantine trade via Ayla.

Restoration of this ancient building

● In 1986, the Egyptian Antiquities Authority had carried out comprehensive and large building works and excavations in that citadel, which revealed the existence of foundations related to those towers and those defense facilities, as well as civil, religious and others.
● This was based on the reason for the start of the restoration process. This was also according to a number of archaeological origins and at the same time using the same types of fallen stones from the castle buildings.

What is the price of a ticket to visit Salah El-Din Castle in Taba for Egyptians?
● The fee for a ticket for the Salah El-Din Castle in Taba for adults is 10 Egyptian pounds
● As for the ticket fees for Salah El-Din Castle in Taba: 5 Egyptian pounds
What is the price of a ticket to visit Salah El-Din Castle in Taba for foreigners?
● The fees for a ticket to visit Salah El-Din Citadel in Taba for foreigners: EGP 200
● In the event that the visitor is a foreign student, the entrance fee: 100 Egyptian pounds

 

Salah El Din Citadel Taba in South Sinai, Egypt | Facts Castle of Saladin in Pharaoh's Island
Salah El Din Citadel Taba in South Sinai, Egypt | Facts Castle of Saladin in Pharaoh’s Island

About Author

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Tamer Ahmed
Eng. Tamer Ahmed | Author & Researcher in History of Ancient Egypt Pharaohs. Booking Your Tours Online Whatsapp: +201112596434