Cairo Citadel, as the name suggests, is a magnificent fortress in the Cairo city of Egypt. It was constructed under the aegis of Salah ad-Din - an Abbasid Ruler, between 1176 and 1183. It is said that the healthy air that surrounded the citadel was the main reasons why Salah ad-Din chose it as the site for his bastion. As per the local legends, he hung pieces of meat at various sites throughout Cairo, including the one at which Cairo Citadel now stands. With the exception of the site of the citadel, the meat got spoilt at all the places within a day. At the citadel area, it remained fresh for several days. Cairo Citadel was later built at the same site. Let us explore some fun and interesting facts about Cairo Citadel.
Fun & Interesting Facts About Cairo Citadel
- Cairo Citadel is sometimes referred to as 'Mohamed Ali Citadel', since it contains the Mosque of Mohamed Ali. It was built in memory of Tusun Pasha - Muhammad Ali's oldest son, who died in 1816.
- The mosque of Mohamed Ali stands perched on the summit of the citadel and was built between 1828 and 1848.
- Cairo Citadel served as Egypt's seat of government till the 1860s, when Khedive Ismail - Egypt's ruler, moved to the Abdin Palace, in Ismailiya neighborhood.
- Apart from mosque of Mohamed Ali, there are two other mosques at the citadel. They are - Mosque of Al-Nasir Muhammad, from the early Bahri Mamluk period, and the 16th century Mosque of Suleyman Pasha, amongst the first Ottoman-style mosques in the citadel.
- Al-Gawhara Palace, the National Military Museum and the Police Museum are some of the buildings housed inside Cairo Citadel.
- The citadel is one of the greatest monuments of medieval warfare in the whole world.
- Cairo Citadel was fortified as a protection against attacks by the Crusaders.
- The citadel has been built as per Ayyubid, Mamluk and Ottoman styles of architecture.
- Cairo Citadel was constructed by a lieutenant of the Ayyubid ruler Salah al-Din, between 1176 and 1183. It was later enlarged, in 13th-14th century.
- Initially, the citadel was intended to serve as a royal residence and military barracks.
- From the thirteenth to the nineteenth centuries, Cairo Citadel served under Ayyubid, Mamluk, Ottoman, and Khedival rulers of Egypt.
- Today, the citadel is mostly in ruins and mainly comprises of part of the walls and Bir Yusuf, the well that supplied it with water.
