The Citadel of Saladin
- The citadel was built on an artificially separated part of the Muqattam range with limestone quarried from it and large blocks supplied by the small pyramids at Giza.
- The main function of the citadel was of course to connect and fortify the city's walls which Saladin had ordered to be built to encompass all parts of the capital to protect Cairo against the crusaders. Also Saladin contemplated the construction of this fortification for the object of making it as a stronghold for himself to combat the heresy of the Fatimids and their partisans.
- It consisted of two enclosures: the northern and the southern. The Northern half was the military area (or the fortress proper), which is irregular rectangle in shape with a long thread of curtain wall and half round towers which are largely Ayyubid and Turkish. It was completed by Saladin between 1176 and 1182. His brother and successor Al-Adil was responsible for strengthen of several of the towers in 1207. Two of them, built around Saladin original corner towers, are the Burg Al-Ramla and Burg Al-Haddad. They stand above Salah Salim Street as it curves behind the citadel and passes between it and the Muqattam range. This enclosure contains now the Military Museum, the mosque Suliman Pasha, and many other places.
- The Southern half was developed by Saladin nephew Al-Kamil (1218-38) as a royal residence. He built a mosque, an audience hall, private palaces, a library, and a mansion for the vizier. All these buildings were removed by Sultan Al-Nasir Qallawoon to build his own buildings, which in turn were pillaged and allowed to fall to ruin by the Ottomans and the French and finally demolished by Mohamed Ali, which caused that this enclosure with its 19th century wall and the lower part (marching down the face of the hill on the west) are almost exclusively from Mohamed Ali's period. Their walls are 19th century except for Bab Al-Azab (the great lower gate opening on to the Maydan) which was built by Abd Al-Rahman Katkhuda in 1168/1754.
- So, we can say that the walls of the Northeastern Enclosure are different from those of the southwestern Enclosure, as the first one is characterized by the coordination in construction. These walls rely on several towers: circular and semi-circular in shape which gives the military impression that reflects the architecture of The Ayyubid era, other examples can be seen in the citadel of Saladin in Syria (Saone Citadel). While the second section almost extends as if it was curtain with no towers in its way which reflects the Ottoman architectural features.
- There have thus been three major building periods in the citadel's history: Ayyubid, 14th century Mamluk, and 19th century Mohamed Ali. The two enclosures are connected by Bab Al-Qulla which stands just to the northeast of Al-Nasir Mosque. Below the citadel mound were the royal stables, a ceremonial maydan, polo ground, a park, and a camels and horses market. Beyond, laid the palaces and endowments of principal princes and pashas.
- For many recent years, the citadel was used as a military installation and much of it wasn't open to the visitors until 1983 when the Egyptian Antiquities Organization engaged in a widespread restoration and refurbishing program, so that the area is now a major touristic place.
- The citadel had two major entrances: the western and the eastern approaches. The western Approach is closed and is no longer used as an entrance to the citadel. It can be visited by walking on the road from the Maydan Saladin in front of the mosque and madrassa of Sultan Hassan and the road curves around almost 180 degrees, circumnavigating the old Dafterkahna or the Archives building. The wall on the left before the first gate is 16th century in its lower courses and Mohamed Ali's in the upper. The first gate dates back to Mohamed Ali and it is called Bab Al-Gedid or the new gate. The wall from here to the next gate (which is Bab Al-Wastani or the middle gate) dates back to Saladin's reign with some courses added on the top by Mohamed Ali. Passing through Bab Al-Wastani you will find yourself in the sloping courtyard before Bab Al-Qulla.
- The Eastern Approach is the one from which we enter now. From Salah Salim Street, you will find yourself close to the Saladin Ayyubid walls which are characterized by its smooth masonry with narrow headers and by small, half round towers with arrow slits. Al-Adil's addition is the great square tower which is midway down the stretch from the southwest corner to the inner gate (Bab Al-Gabal). On entering that gate, the walls you see on your right hand side are from the 16th or the 17th century.
- When focusing on the walls and the towers of the citadel, we can see that they weren't made by one man, as they are different in architecture, because they weren't made by a single king in one period, but every king who build a wall or repair one may put his personal touch, used now by the scholars as a mark to his period. So, the walls and the towers are considered one of the most important components which characterize the outside of the citadel walls.
- There is a passage way spread through the walls which leads to square chambers, this passageway has apertures (openings) towering above the interior of natural lighting, while the chambers apertures overlooking the external wall are conical slits for arrows.
- There is a big number of towers in the citadel, and many of them can't be visited or seen from inside, however, there are 18 towers can be seen with several shapes like circular, semicircular in shape and square with different dates. And these important towers are:
1- Burg Al-Muqqatam: it is a circular tower, 25m.high and has a diameter of 24m., built of small dressed stone. It dates back to the Ottoman period.
2- Burg Al-Suffa: rectangular in shape and is 15m.high, belongs to the reign of Al-Kamil.
3- Burg Al-Alwa: semi-circular tower, which belongs to the reign of Saladin.
4- Burg Kirkyilian: square tower, 21m.wide and 20m.high, belongs to the reign of Al-Kamil.
5- Nameless Tower: Semicircular tower, reign of Saladin.
6- Burg Al-Turfa: square tower, 30m.wide, reign of Al-Kamil. It is considered the largest tower.
7- Burg Al-Mattar: it consists of a couple of semicircular tower, it is 15m.high, and it was one of the original gates of the citadel, but it has been closed in The Mamluk period, it was named Mattar tower because it was specialized for carrier pigeons, which carried the messages, and belongs to the reign of Al-Malik Al-Kamil.
8- Burg Al-Mobalit: semicircular in shape, reign of Saladin. It is considered the corner tower.
9- Nameless Tower: Small semicircular tower, reign of Saladin.
10- Burg Al-Mokawsar: semicircular in shape, reign of Saladin.
11- Nameless Tower: Semicircular tower, reign of Saladin.
12- Burg Al-Qarafa (Bab Al-Imam): it was one of the original gates of the citadel. The twin towered Burg of Al-Imam was first built by Saladin. Then Al-Malik Al-Kamil took it over as a defensive tower, that he covered its façade by a huge stone towers and called it Imam tower as it was the place where the Imam of Suliman Pasha Mosque lived.
13- Nameless Tower: Semicircular tower, reign of Saladin.
14&15- Burg Al-Ramla and Burg Al-Haddad: the first tower is 21m.high and has a diameter of 18meters. The other tower is 21m.high also, but has a diameter of 22meters. They were first built by Saladin then Al-Kamil added fortifications to the towers. They contain many inner rooms and chambers for the guards.
16- Nameless Tower: Semicircular tower, reign of Saladin.
17- Burg Al-Sahara: belongs to the reign of Saladin.
18- Burg Al-Siba': or (The Tower of Lions), belongs to the reign of Sultan Baybars. It stands now below The Police Museum, however, originally there was a domed pavilion above that tower. Its vaulted ceiling, painted with the zodiac, was supported by marble columns. Around the tower, only you can see now a carved frieze of stone lions which was Baybers heraldic emblem. You can see these lions just under the staircase leading to the entrance of The Police Museum. This tower maybe originally built by Saladin, because of the presence of The Stone Eagle of Saladin, which was his war symbol, this stone eagle can be seen nowadays just meters under the stone edge of Burg Al- Siba'. This eagle is put nowadays on our national flag…
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