Cairo Citadel of Saladin
๐ Location: Mokattam spur, eastern Cairo ย ยท ย ๐บ Period: Founded 1176 by Salah al-Din ย ยท ย ๐๏ธ Tickets: ~450 EGP foreign adults
The Citadel was begun in 1176 by Salah al-Din (Saladin) as the new fortified seat of his Ayyubid sultanate, and remained the centre of Egyptian government continuously until the 19th century โ under Ayyubids, Mamluks, Ottomans and finally Muhammad Ali Pasha. Perched on a spur of the Mokattam Hills, it commands a panoramic view that on a clear day stretches all the way to the Pyramids of Giza.
Inside the walls, four distinct historical layers overlap. The Mosque of Muhammad Ali (1830โ1848), with its Istanbul-style domes and twin pencil minarets in alabaster-clad limestone, is the silhouette every visitor knows. Tucked behind it are the Mamluk Mosque of al-Nasir Muhammad (1318) with its blue-tiled minarets, the Mosque of Sulayman Pasha (the first Ottoman mosque in Egypt, 1528), and a clutch of military, royal carriage and police museums housed in former barracks. The medieval well of Yusuf, drilled 87 m down through solid rock to ensure water during siege, can also be visited.
Highlights
- Mosque of Muhammad Ali โ alabaster Ottoman masterpiece
- Mosque of al-Nasir Muhammad โ only surviving Mamluk royal mosque in the Citadel
- Sulayman Pasha Mosque โ first Ottoman dome in Egypt
- National Military Museum, Police Museum and the Royal Carriages Museum
- View of Cairo from the western terrace
Visiting
- Opening hours: 9 am โ 5 pm daily
- Tickets: ~450 EGP foreign adults; includes the mosques and citadel-grounds museums
- Dress: modest for the mosques; head-covers loaned at the door
- Best time: late afternoon for golden-hour views; finish at sunset
- Nearby: Salah al-Din Square, al-Saliba Street