Citadel of Saladin

The citadel of Saladin is an imposing fortress, built by Saladin, which dominates Cairo.

On the single height of the city, the sultan Salah AD-DIN (Saladin), founder of the dynasty ayyoubide, made build this fortress between 1176 and 1183 by crusaders captured in Palestine, from where its pace of strong castle.

Its silhouette is dominated by the cupolas and the minarets of the mosque out of alabaster of Mohammed Ali, style Turkish, completed in 1857.

The citadel offers an admirable panoramic sight on Cairo and the city of deaths, cemetery of the sultans Mamelukes now inhabited by without home. With the foot of the citadel, is the mosque of the Hassan sultan, one of the most beautiful buildings of time Mameluke of the 14th century.

After the death of Saladin, its nephew, Al-Kamil, reinforced the Citadel by increasing several of the turns, in particular tower Al-Haddad (the tower of the blacksmith) and the tower Ramlab (sand turn), returning them three times larger. These two turns controlled the narrow passage between the Citadel and the hills of Muqattam. Al-Kamil also determined a certain number of large towers around the perimeter of the walls, of which three can still be seen carpark of the Citadel. These massive towers were square, high 25 meters and broad of 30. In 1218, to died of his/her father, Al-Kamil, become Sultan, transferred his residence to the Citadel where it built his palate in the southern district. Until the construction of the palate of Abedin in the middle of the 19th century, it was the seat of the government of the Egypt.

When the Mamelouks finally reversed the Ayyoubides in 1250, their sultan Baybars Al-Bunduqdari (reign: 1260-1277) settled in the Al-Kamil palate. It insulated it by building a wall which divided the fortress into two parts connected by door Al-Qullah.

Year-Nâsir Muhammad Ben Qala' a, a Sultan who reigned during three periods (1294-1295, 1299-1309 and 1310-1341) opened the southernmost district with constructions. Unfortunately, the only remaining one is its mosque Mohamed Year-Nâsir. It was started in 1318 and was finished in 1355. We also know that it built a large palace of justice with a large green dome which dominated all the buildings. Close to this one Qasr el-Ablaq (striped palate) with its black and yellow marble was built. This palate, used for official ceremonies, has a driving staircase towards the low district and the royal stables where Year-Nâsir had: 4800 horses.

The Othomans controlled Egypt between 1517 and the beginning of the 20th century. Much of what we see of the Citadel goes back to this period. The low district where were the stables of Year-Nâsir is known under the name of el-Azab ( unmarried ) because these Othoman soldiers, which one had not allowed to come with their wives, there were stationed. The Othomans rebuilt the wall which separates the districts north and south, as well as door Al-Quallah. They also built the largest tower of the Citadel of today, Al-Muqattam, which rises above the entry of the Citadel by the road of Salah Saalem. This tower makes 25 meters and has a diameter of 24 meters. In 1754 the Othomans reconstruirent the walls of the low district and added a strengthened door called the El-Azab door.

16th century until the French occupation, the strict military structure of the Othoman soldiers gradually worsened. For this period, the troops of Azab started to marry, and even built their own housing in the fortress. With half of the 17th century, the Citadel had become a residential zone with private stores, public baths and a labyrinth of small streets.

The Othoman Muhammad Ali Pasha (Mohammed Ali), one of the large manufacturers of modern Egypt, with the capacity in 1805, is the person in charge of the considerable change of the Citadel. He rebuilds most of the external walls and replaces several of the dilapidated interior buildings, making northern district his private field, whereas the southern district was opened with the public. Its Mohammed Ali mosque, built in the style called Othoman Baroque which imitates the large mosques of Istanbul, dominates the southern district today. In the south of the Mosque in Hawsh there is the palate Gawharah (palate of the jewels). It was built between 1811 and 1814 above the site of the palate striped in with respect to the mosque of Mohamed year-Nasir and placed the Egyptian government until it was moved with the palate of Abedin. It is today the national museum of the police force.

The plank of the six lions being on the basis of wall of the museum of the police force seems to be of time mamelouke, Méhémet Ali while having made the symbols of its power and its courage the Pharaon following the example of of old Egypt.

Close to door Al-Qullah in the northern district is the palate harem of Mohammed Ali which was built in the same Othoman model as the palate of the jewels. The statue in front of, is that of Ibrahim Pasha, by Charles Cordier. The palate was used as residence of family with the Khedive until the government was moved with the palate of Abedin. It was a military hospital during the British occupation, returned under Egyptian control after the 2nd world war. Since 1949, it is the military Musée of Egypt, rested by king Farouk.

The statue of Sulayman Pasha was at the origin in the center of the city. Beyond this museum is a small museum of the Attachments where are presented the official barouches of the 19th and 20th centuries, borrowed from the museum of Bulaq, eight attachments of the family of Mohammed Ali.

Just behind this museum is the tower and-Turfah, one of largest of the square towers built by Al-Kamil in 1207. At the end of the northern district, it there with the mosque Suleyman Pasha. It is the first mosque of Othoman style established in Egypt, it goes back to 1528.

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