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Citadel of Qaitbay - Alexandria

 

Citadel of Qaitbay is situated at the entrance of the eastern harbour on the eastern point of the Pharos Island. This citadel was established in 1477 by Mamluk Sultan Al Ashraf Qaitbay to defend the city of Alexandria. The citadel was erected on the exact site of the famous Lighthouse of Alexandria. The main purpose to build this citadel was to deal with the Ottoman threat.

 

Main tower of the Citadel of Qiatbay in Alexandria
A small garden in front of the citadel
This plaque shows the layout of the citadel
Mutli coloured stones depicting Egyptian flag
Cannons along the walkway which leads to the main tower
Entrance of the main building
Floor of the Citadel of Qaitbay at the ground level
Inner walls of the citadel leading to a skylight
The wooden door of the citadel can be seen to the left here
One of the corridors on the upper level

 

Eventually, the Ottomans conquered Egypt in 1517 but they took good care of this citadel. They stationed this citadel with infantry, artillery, a company of drummers and trumpeters, masons and carpenters. Soldiers were housed here on permanent bases, halls, meeting rooms, kitchen, sleeping area and mosque were part of the citadel.

Looking dowanwards from the skylight on the first floor
Here a guy points at my camera
A window which offers view into the open area which leads to the main building
A hallway on the upper level of the citadel
Interior of the hallway of the Citadel of Qaitbay
A corridor on the second floor - this floor offers the better views of the harbor
Interior of the citadel
A small corridor leads to the reservoir which was used to store water
Inside of the reservoir of citadel
On top of the reservoir it has an opening which was used to fetch water from down below

 

Muhammad Ali renovated the old Citadel, restored and repaired its outer ramparts in 1805. In 1904, the Ministry of Defence restored the upper floors. A major restoration work of this citadel took place in 1984.

An opening on the second floor looks out to Mediterranean Sea
An opening in the ceiling which offers view and the light from the above
An opening in the ceiling which offers view and the light from the above
In the evening some of the smaller boats can be hired
A side view of the Citadel of Qaitbay
One of the four towers of the citadel which are located at the each corner
Square courtyard in front of the Citadel of Qaitbay
Base of a cannon which was installed to protect the city from the naval attack
A cannon looking out to Mediterranean Sea
A cannon at the lower level of the citadel - this cannon is strategically placed to attack the enemy

 

There are few scattered stones beside the walls of the citadel. Some of these stones may belong to the Lighthouse of Alexandria. Archaeologists believe that many of stones which belong to the Alexandria Lighthouse are underwater now.

The British fleet bombarded Alexandria on 11 July 1882 and damaged this beautiful building. The north and western facades were severely damaged by the cannon fire. On the outer walls of the citadel, cannons were installed to protect the city from the naval attack. One side of the citadel has double walls, in order to bolster the defenses.

A side view of the main tower
Stones beside the walls of the citadel
Some of these stones may belong to the Lighthouse of Alexandria
An old stone at the site
A fisherman is standing among the stone blocks
Outer defensive walls of the citadel
This corridor opens into a courtyard but also links to other corridor which has cannons inside it
Outer defensive walls of the citadel
It was almost closing time for the citadel and most of the visitors were leaving
One corner of the citadel has an aquarium but it was in bad shape
Kids enjoying their evening in their own ways
This photo shows the location of the citadel is at the entrance of the eastern harbour on the eastern point of the Pharos Island
These small boats can be hired and they mainly cater for the tourists
Few fishermen and a local family next to the citadel