The Cairo Citadel (Citadel of Cairo), also known as the Citadel of Saladin, is a monumental fortification. These defenses have witnessed the eras of the Mamluk sultans and Ottoman pashas. Preserved to this day, they are astounding in scale: the perimeter stretches about 3 km, the wall height reaches up to 15 meters, and the unique round towers from the Mamluk era still dominate the city`s panorama.
Laying the Foundation: The Era of Saladin (12th Century)
The construction of the first line of fortifications began in 1176 by order of the legendary Sultan Salah Ad-Din (Saladin). The main goal was to protect the new Islamic state from the threat of the Crusaders, whose states lay to the east. The Citadel was intended to become an impregnable barracks for the army and a refuge for the ruler.
Architects and Technology: Syrian engineers familiar with the advanced fortifications of the Crusaders were invited for the work. They chose the strategically ideal location — the Muqattam Hill, which offered complete control over Fustat (Old Cairo) and the new districts of Cairo that had emerged around the Roman Babylon Fortress.
Original Appearance: The earliest surviving sections of walls and towers are on the southern and western sides of the citadel. These were massive stone masonry structures made of local limestone, designed to withstand battering rams and catapults.
Heyday and Strengthening: The Mamluk Era (13th–16th Centuries)
The Mamluk sultans transformed the Citadel from a military camp into a royal residence but did not forget about its defense.
Sultan al-Nasir Muhammad (14th Century): Under him, the Citadel was radically expanded and rebuilt. New, even higher walls appeared, and the space between Saladin`s old walls and the new ones was filled in, creating a powerful glacis (earthen slope) that made assault difficult.
New Type of Towers: It was during this period that the famous round and polygonal towers appeared. Their main advantage over square ones was the elimination of "dead zones" for firing. From such towers, defenders could shoot at the area right at the base of the wall. These towers became the architectural hallmark of the citadel.
Gates as Symbols: The main gate — Bab al-Azab (The Gate of Discipline) was seriously fortified and turned into an independent mini-fortress with a drawbridge, loopholes, and guard chambers.
The Ottoman Period and Muhammad Ali (19th Century)
Muhammad Ali Pasha, the founder of modern Egypt, gave the Citadel its current appearance. However, his contribution to the walls was more destructive: to clear space for his grandiose Alabaster Mosque, he demolished many medieval palaces and significantly lowered the height of the southern wall by 2–3 meters. This was a symbolic gesture — erasing the old power to affirm the new.
What Has Survived to This Day
• Scale: The total length of the fortress walls along the perimeter is about 3 kilometers.
• Height and Thickness: In the best-preserved sections (especially in the south and west), the wall height reaches 10–15 meters, and their thickness is about 3 meters at the base. Along the top of the walls runs a wide crenellated fighting gallery, along which guards could move quickly.
• Saladin`s Towers (Southern Wall): Massive, somewhat squat structures from the 12th century. Their masonry is rougher and darker than that of later structures.
• Round Towers of the Mamluk Era (Western Wall): The most photogenic. Their shape and impressiveness are striking even from a distance.
• Bab al-Azab (The Gate of Discipline): The main entrance from the Mamluk period. Pay attention to the deep grooves for the portcullis lifting mechanism and the system of loopholes that allowed longitudinal fire along the wall.
• Muhammad Ali Gate (Bab el-Gedid): Solemn neoclassical gates from the 19th century, leading to the mosque. They contrast with the medieval severity of the other gates.
• Northern Wall with Bastions: From here opens the best panorama of Cairo, for which tourists ascend to the Citadel. The entire historical center is visible from the walls, up to the minarets of Ibn Tulun and Al-Azhar.
The walls and towers of the Cairo Citadel are not just a backdrop for beautiful mosques. They are an independent, monumental monument to military engineering. They have survived sieges, reconstructions, and earthquakes.
