The Citadel of Saladin (Salah Al Din) or Mountain Castle is one of the most luxurious military castles built in the middle ages located on Mokattam Mountain. It is around 15 to 20 min away from Cairo downtown. Facing Magra El Oyoun aqueduct or what is known as the citadel/Mamluk Aqueduct. It’s known as Cairo citadel, built in the period 1176 to 1183 by Saladin the founder of the Ayyubid dynasty and the first sultan in Egypt.
Beside being a fortress, the citadel was used for over 700 years as a place for Egypt’s rulers and the site of the central government.
Although Saladin ordered building the citadel, it was never completed it in his life. Sultan Kamil bin Al-Adil witnessed the compilation of it, he made it his royal residence until the era of Muhammad Ali to be moved to Abdeen palace by Khedive Ismail.
This majestic castle witnessed many, many historical events, as its walls witnessed various historical events during the Ayyubid and Mamluk eras and the time of the French campaign against Egypt in 1798 AD, until Muhammad Ali Pasha took over the rule of Egypt, where he restored its prosperity and greatness.
Saladin or Salah Al Din al-Ayyubi was born between 1137-1138 AD from a Kurdish family. He was a young man interested in religion and science, and did not show signs of military tendencies. He later became one of the greatest and most famous Muslim leaders. Salah Al Din was able to make Egypt, Syria, Palestine, and Yemen all under the banner of the Ayyubid state during his reign!
He came to Egypt to defeat the Crusaders together with his uncle, he became the military leader of the Fatimid Then he became the ruler of Egypt after only two years by abolishing the Fatimid state
It was so easy for Salah al Din to take over Egypt. The Fatimid who were in charge at this time were pretty week, they didn’t resist or fight back and beside this there was nothing to protect Egypt.
Saladin realized this since he came to Egypt and knew how unprotected Egypt is. Saladi expanded his empire, being a worrier he invaded so many countries till he reached Syria, and this was where his inspiration came form! Those big castles he saw there. Knowing how powerful, protective and fortifying these fortresses are, he decided to build Cairo’s citadel which was later named after him “Saladin citadel” for Egypt’s protection.
He focused so much on building the citadel, dedicated many resources for it and gave his orders to be built quickly for the city’s protection. He also carefully selected where Cairo citadel should be built, he picked the top of Mokatam hills, first-class location. It’s a place where his troops would be able to see the whole city and easily defeat their enemies. Not only this but Its strategic location provides defensive importance because it controls the cities of Cairo and Fustat. With this location it is possible to provide communication between the castle and the city when in a state of siege, and it will become the last stronghold to seize it in the event that the city falls into the hands of the enemy.
The citadel of Saladin is number one Islamic monument and a very popular site among Cairo attractions that One must see.
On the western side of the Citadel of Salah Al Din, there is a stepped door with an inscription above it indicating the construction of this citadel, which reads: “In the name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful, I order the construction of this magnificent citadel, adjacent to the guarded city of Cairo, which has brought benefit, improvement, and abundance to those who seek refuge under the shadow of his kingdom and for protection” by these words, Saladin established his dedication.
The gate of Saladin castle was known as the Mokattam Gate due to its proximity to the Mokattam Tower, which dates back to the Ottoman era. This gate was also known as the Jabal Gate because it overlooks the Mokattam mountain gate. Currently, it is known as the Salah Salem gate.
This door was blocked at some point, and it was a rectangular opening made in a very thick wall towards the south of the Mokattam tower. A wall with merlons was added to this door in the year 1200 AH/1785 AD, dating back to the era of Muhammad Yakan Pasha, who built in this place, which was empty in the past.
At that time, it was a palace with its facilities. There was a memorial plaque on this door bearing a founding text in Turkish in the name of Yakan Pasha and the date of building the door and the palace in the year 1200 AH/1785 AD, which has now been lost.
Muhammad Ali Pasha saw that both the stepped door and the Janissary door were not suitable for the passage of chariots and cannons with Al-Hajj built the new gate instead and paved a sloped road for it to make it easier to ascend to and descend from the castle. This road is known today as New Gate Street or the quarry railway. The features of these doors have been lost, and a large part of the wall and the balconies that were above it were demolished by time.
Later, between 1830 and 1845 Muhammad Ali Pasha used the citadel for a religious purpose. He built his mosque inside which is named after him today Muhammad Ali mosque, known as Muhammad Ali Alabaster mosque as well, at the peak of the citadel. It is known as “The Alabaster Mosque” since the interior and exterior walls are cover with marble. Work on establishing the mosque continued without interruption until the death of Muhammad Ali Pasha in 1845when he was buried in the cemetery that he had prepared for himself.
Who was in charge of building Muhammad Ali Mosque?
Beside being the largest mosque built in the 19th century, Muhammed Ali Pasha hired a Turkish man called Yousif Boushnaq, who came specially from Turkey to supervise building this mosque. It was built accordion to the Ottoman/Turkish style
The Plan of the alabaster mosque:
The mosque has a rectangular building in its entirety and is divided into two parts:
The eastern section, which is prepared for prayer, square in shape, with an interior side length of 41 meters, in the middle of which is a high dome with a diameter of 21 meters and a height of 52 meters above floor level.
The western section, which is the courtyard with an ablution bowl in the middle. At the back of this section there is a copper clock tower, which was gifted by Louis Philippe, King of France to Muhammad Ali in the year 1845 AD back in return when Muhammed Ali gifted him Luxor obelisk which was once standing at Luxor temple one of the must-see Luxor attractions (the obelisk is now in the Place de la Concorde Square in Paris).
The alabaster mosque (Muhammad Ali mosque) is supported on four square shoulders surrounded by four semi-domes, then a fifth semi-dome that covers the protrusion of the mihrab (pulpits), in contrast to four other small domes at the corners of the mosque The walls of the mosque were covered, inside and out, with alabaster marble imported from Beni Suef quarries, as well as the four inner shoulders that support the dome.
The mosque has two graceful minarets, the highest allover Egypt, 84 meters high above the courtyard floor. All the walls of the mosque were covered with white marble on the inside, ornamented with colorful, gilded patterns. As for the large dome and the semi-domes, they were decorated with prominent, colorful, gilded decorations.
During the reign of Khedive Abbas Pasha I, the inscriptions on the gates and marble work were completed, and he also ordered the appointment of reciters and the monitoring of good deeds in the mosque. While official celebrations were held for five nights every year during the reign of Said Pasha.
The military museum is a part of the citadel complex, built in 1938. This museum is dedicated to the army and weapons evolution in Egypt.
A big number of the military and war goods are on display. Beside the models of the aircraft and tanks in the outer court you will also find statues of the most important leaders of the Egyptian history!
The military museum at the citadel shows records of the Egyptian army since the Pharaonic period till the modern time. Paintings, medals, military equipment and uniforms are on display at this museum which is a good short briefing of the achievements of the Egyptian army.
South of the alabaster mosque of Muhammed Ali you will find Al Gawhara palace (Jewel palace). This palace was built following the Roman-Turkish style, Muhammad Ali made sure that this palace was extremely luxurious to receive the guests and delegations in his era. Al-Jawhara Palace was the one in which the massacre of the castle occurred.
This palace will grab your attention once you enter it. You will see royal clothes, paintings, Muhammad Ali throne and furniture date back to Muhammad Ali time. The halls of Al Gawhara palace are decorated with golden plated expensive ornaments, some of them were brought from Turkey specially for this palace
Jewel palace, this beautiful place was partially damaged and cough fire twice during the life of Ali, after explosions of gunpowder at the years of 1822 and 1824. After this Mohammad Ali ordered the restoration of the place which included re-building some of the gates, decorating the walls once again and importing marble from Italy to be used inside his palace and added fountains, corridors and more rooms.
Salah al-Din dug a well in the citadel from which the army and the inhabitants of the citadel could draw water if water was denied during its siege. It is the most amazing work that has been done because the well is dug into the rock at a depth of 90 meters from the level of the castle ground, and this required a great effort at that time.
Magra El- Oyoun Aqueduct is the other answer for this question! Taking the water from the Nile river, west and run it to the east where the citadel is to supply whoever staying inside with water! This mega- water project was done by Sultan Mohammad ibn Qalawun during the Mamluk time.
All of this makes the citadel one of the must-see places in Cairo a Tour to The Egyptian Museum, Citadel and Old Cairo will make you learn more about this magnificent place!
