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| 1900 PICTURE OF THE CITADEL |
The Citadel is a
medieval Islamic fortification in Cairo, Egypt located on Mokattam hill
near the center of Cairo, it was once famous for its fresh breeze and grand views
of the city.
It is now a preserved historic site, with many mosques and museums. In 1976, it was proclaimed by UNESCO as a part of the World Heritage Site Historic Cairo (Islamic Cairo), which was "the new centre of the Islamic world”, reaching its golden age in the 14th century.
It is now a preserved historic site, with many mosques and museums. In 1976, it was proclaimed by UNESCO as a part of the World Heritage Site Historic Cairo (Islamic Cairo), which was "the new centre of the Islamic world”, reaching its golden age in the 14th century.
History
To protect the citadel from the
Crusaders, the Ayyubid ruler Salah al-Din (Saladin) fortified it between 1176
and 1183 CE. After defeating the Fatimid Caliphate, Saladin set out to build a
wall that would surround both Cairo and Fustat. Saladin is recorded as saying,
"With a wall I will make the two [cities of Cairo and Fustat] into a
unique whole, so that one army may defend them both; and I believe it is good
to encircle them with a single wall from the bank of the Nile to the bank of
the Nile." The Citadel would be the centerpiece of the wall. Built on a
promontory beneath the Muqattam Hills, a setting that made it difficult to
attack, the efficacy of the Citadel's location is further demonstrated by the
fact that it remained the heart of Egyptian government until the 19th century.
The citadel stopped being the seat
of government when Egypt's ruler, Khedive Ismail, moved to his newly built
Abdin Palace in the Ismailiya neighborhood in the 1860s.
While the Citadel was completed in
1183–1184, the wall Saladin had envisioned was still under construction in
1238, long after his death.
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| THE COURTYARD |
To supply water to the Citadel,
Saladin built the 85-metre (280 ft) deep Well of Joseph (so-called because
Saladin's birth name, Yousef, “Joseph”), which can still be seen today. This
well is also known as the Well of the Spiral because its entrance consisted of
300 stairs that wound around the inside of the well. Once water was raised from
the well to the surface, it traveled to the Citadel on a series of aqueducts.
During the reign of al-Nasir
Muhammad, the Well of Joseph failed to produce enough water for the numerous
animals and humans then living in the Citadel. To increase the volume of water,
Nasir built a water supply system that consisted of a number of water wheels on
the Nile; the water was then transported to the wall and subsequently to the
Citadel, via the aqueducts Saladin had constructed.
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| THE PULPIT |
The improvements to the Citadel's
water supply were not Nasir's only additions to the Citadel, which was subject
to a number of different additions during the Mamluk period. Nasir's most
notable contribution was the Mosque of Nasir. In 1318 rebuilding the Ayyubid
structure and turned it into a mosque that bear his name. The structure underwent
further additions in 1335. Other contributions to the Citadel during Nasir's
reign include the structure's southern enclosure (the northern enclosure was
completed by Saladin) and the residential area, which included space for the
harem and the courtyard. Prior to Nasir's work on the Citadel, the Baybars
constructed the Hall of Justice and the "House of Gold."
The Citadel is sometimes referred
to as Mohamed Ali Citadel (Qalaʿat Muḥammad ʿAlī),
because it contains the Mosque of Muhammad Ali, which was built by Muhammad Ali
Pasha between 1828 and 1848, it is perched on the summit of the citadel.
This Ottoman mosque was built in
memory of Tusun Pasha, Muhammad Ali's second son who died in 1816. However, it
also represents Muhammad Ali's efforts to erase symbols of the Mamluk dynasty
that he replaced. When Ottoman ruler Muhammad Ali Pasha took control from the
Mamluks in 1805 he altered many of the additions to the Citadel that reflected
Cairo's previous leaders. One obvious change that Muhammad Ali enacted
pertained to the uses of the Citadel's northern and southern enclosures. During
the Mamluk period the southern enclosure was the residential area, but Muhammad
Ali claimed the northern enclosure as the royal residence when he took power.
He then opened the southern enclosure to the public and effectively established
his position as the new leader.
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| MINARETS |
The mosque is the other feature of
the Citadel that reflects the reign of Muhammad Ali. It features a large dome
and overtly Ottoman influenced architecture that looms over the Citadel to this
day. Recently destroyed Mamluk palaces within the Citadel provided space for
the formidable mosque, which was the largest structure to be established in the
early 19th century. Placing the mosque where the Mamluks had once reigned was
an obvious effort to erase the memory of the older rulers and establish the
importance of the new leader. The mosque also replaced the mosque of al-Nasir
as the official state mosque.
Muhammad Ali chose to build his state
mosque entirely in the architectural style of his former overlords, the
Ottomans, unlike the Mamluks who, despite their political submission to the
Ottomans, stuck to the architectural styles of the previous Mamluk dynasties.
The mosque was built with a
central dome surrounded by four small and four semicircular domes. It was
constructed in a square plan and measured 41x41 meters. The central dome is 21
meters in diameter and the height of the building is 52 meters. Two elegant
cylindrical minarets of Turkish type with two balconies and conical caps are
situated on the western side of the mosque, and rise to 82 meters.
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| MOHAMED ALI MOSQUE INTERIOR |
The use of this style, combined
with the presence of two minarets and multiple half-domes surrounding the
central dome — features reserved for mosques built on the authority of the
Sultan — were a defiant declaration of de facto Egyptian independence.
The main material is limestone but
the lower storey and forecourt is tiled with alabaster up to 11,3 meters. The
external facades are severe and angular and rise about four storey’s until the
level of the lead-covered domes.
The mihrab (pulpit) on the southeastern wall is three storey’s
high and covered with a semicircular dome. There are two arcades on the second
storey, rising on columns and covered with domes. Although there are three
entrances on each side of the forecourt, the usual entry is through the
northeastern gate. The forecourt measures 50x50 meters. It is enclosed by
arched riwaks (Courtyard) rising on
pillars and covered by domes.
There is a brass clock tower in
the middle of the northwestern riwak, that was a gift to Muhammad Ali by King Louis
Philippe of France in 1845. The clock was reciprocated with the obelisk of
Luxor now standing in Place de la Concorde in Paris.
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| NAPOLEONIC AQUARELLE OF THE CITADEL |
The interior has a measure of
41x41 meters and gives a great feeling of space. The use of two levels of domes
gives a much greater sense of space than there actually is. The central dome
rises on four arches standing on colossal piers. There are four semicircular domes
around the central dome. There are four smaller domes on the corners as well.
The domes are painted and embellished with motifs in relief. The walls and
pillars are covered with alabaster up to 11 meters high.
Mosques
There are three main mosques at
the Citadel:
Al-Nasir Muhammad Mosque
Built in 1318, during the early
Bahri Mamluk period, as the royal mosque of the Citadel where the sultans of
Cairo performed their Friday prayers, today this hypostyle mosque is still
similar to how it looked in the 1300 though many repairs have been made. It is
open to the public though infrequently visited by tourists. The parts of the
building relying on plastered walls have been reinforced. There have also been
attempts to restore the light-blue color of the ceiling.
Mosque of Sulayman Pasha
Built in 1528, it was first of the
Citadel's Ottoman-style mosques. It was built on the ruins of an old mosque of
Abu Mansur Qusta.
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| FORTIFICATION TOWER |
The mosque was built between 1830
and 1848, although not completed until the reign of Said Pasha in 1857. The
architect was Yusuf Bushnak from Istanbul and its model was the Sultan Ahmed
Mosque in that city. Muhammad Ali Pasha was buried in a tomb carved from
Carrara marble, in the courtyard of the mosque. His body was transferred here
from Hawsh al-Basha in 1857.
Museums
The Citadel also contains three museums:
Al-Gawhara Palace Museum
Also known as Bijou Palace, is a
palace and museum commissioned by Muhammad Ali Pasha in 1814. The palace was
designed and constructed by artisans contracted from a variety of countries,
including Greeks, Turks, Bulgarians and Albanians. Muhammad Ali's official
divan or audience hall, where the pasha received guests, contains a 1000kg
chandelier sent to him by Louis-Philippe I of France. The palace also contains
the throne of Muhammad Ali Pasha that was a gift from the King of Italy.
Carriage Museum
Inaugurated in 1983, it houses a
collection of unique Royal Carriages attributed to different historical
periods, from the reign of Khedive Ismail until the reign of King Farouk, in
addition to other collection of unique antiques related to the carriages.
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| INTERIOR OF MILITARY MUSEUM |
Egyptian Military museum
The Egyptian Army museum was
established in 1937 at the old building of the Egyptian Ministry of War in
downtown Cairo. It was later moved to a temporary location in the Garden City
district of Cairo. In November 1949 the museum was moved to the Haram Palace at
the Cairo citadel. It has been renovated several times since, in 1982 and 1993.
Some Cairo Citadel Facts
When the Cairo Citadel construction
was completed, it accommodated the ruler of Egypt Al Malek El Kamel . He was
the first king to live in it. It was the seat of the government and palace
until 1860 when Egypt's ruler Khedive Ismail moved out of the Citadel of Cairo
into his own new castle. The
Citadel was home to the rulers of Egypt for 700 years.
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| OLD CATAPULT IN MUSEUM |
- The wall that Saladin had begun
to build to protect Cairo and Fustat was still under construction after he
died. It was near completion only in 1238.
- The Citadel was enlarged in the
13th to 14th century.
- The Cairo Citadel is considered
to be one the most elegant of the fortresses that were built during the Middle
Ages.
- When the French invaded Cairo in
1798. The Citadel was important in helping to protect the city but eventually after a long battle Napoleon
Bonaparte's army took control.
View of Citadel from new Aga Khan Gardens
- The Citadel of Cairo is considered to be one of the ‘greatest monuments of medieval warfare'.
- To avoid losing his governance over Egypt threatened by the Mamlukes, Mohamed Ali prepared for an official banquet and invited all the Mamlukes dignitaries and officers. They all came dressed in formal dress with almost no combat weapons; as they were leaving the citadel after the banquet they were taken by surprise at the gate called Bab El-Wazer. Mohamed Ali had ordered his troops to close the doors of the gate and kill all the high-ranking Mamlukes.
Due to the surprise factor all the mamlukes perished, except for one that survived the Massacre and fled to Syria.
This Massacre was called "The Citadel Massacre" or in Arabic "mazbahat el qala’a"
- The Eagle of Saladin depicted on the citadel became the coat of arms of Egypt (seen on the Egyptian flag) and it later was used by other Arab nations.This eagle is on the west wall of the citadel and the head is missing. Studies suggested that it used to be a double headed eagle. It only appeared on the walls of the citadel around 1670 from an unknown location.
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VIDEO OF THE CITADEL OF CAIRO IN ALL IT'S SPLENDOR
