Salah El Din Citadel located on the hill of Mokattam near the center of Cairo "The City of thousands of Minarets" is the legendary Citadel of Salah El Din. Constructed took place in 1176 AD and completed in 1182 AD during the reign of king al Malek el Kamel by the hands of the founder of the Ayyubid Ruler Salah El Din to become a powerful fortress against foreign invading forces like the crusaders, the French invasion led by Napolean Bonaparte in 1798 after being inspired by the Syrian and Lebanese powerful fortress. The city also became the seat of the government and the king for 700 years for many dynasties like the Ayyubids, the Mamluks and the Ottoman Empire until Khedive Ismail moved the headquarters of the country to the newly constructed Abdin Palace in Downtown Cairo during the 1870s.
Many constructions were constructed within the citadel like a hall of justice, an arsenal, entrance routes, four places which are Palace of the jewel, Palace of the Haram, Palace Albblq , and Saraya justice palace, a huge terrace, and numerous gates such as the Baba Mokattam, the door of the middle, the new door and the door of the castle & Mosques like the enchanting mosque of Mohammed Ali, Masjid al-Nasir Qaloun, Mosque of Sulaiman Pasha, and Mosque of Ahmed Ktkhda. The citadel contains various towers like Al-Muqattam Tower, Al-Saffa Tower, Al-Alwa Tower, Kerkilan Tower, Tower Al Tarfa, Al-Mablat Tower, Al-Maquser Tower, Al-Amam Tower, Al-Qarafa Tower, Al-Ramlah Tower, Haddad Tower, and the Desert Tower. The Police Museum and Military Museum are the most visited destinations in the citadel.
The citadel was remodeled and rebuilt many times through the ages as it looks quite different from the original design as most of the noticeable changes came in the 19th century by Mohammed Ali and his dynasty. Mohammed Ali tried as hard as he can to erase any trace for the Mamluks who controlled Egypt for six centuries, he constructed the Majestic Alabaster Mosque, a true example of Ottoman Architecture which towers over the rest of the complex and over a magical view over the immortal city of Cairo.
Salah El Din Citadel one of the most famous Cairo tourist attractions, if you want to explore it with other amazing historical attractions, then you can check our Egypt private tour packages and choose your trip to Egypt, or if you are already in Cairo, then check our Cairo day tours.
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