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Salah El Din Citadel in Cairo
Salah El Din Al-Ayyubi: Who Was He?
In 1171, Salah El Din (often referred to as Saladin by historians in Europe) destroyed the Fatimids and founded the Sunni Ayyubid dynasty. Saladin made the decision to strengthen the city’s defenses in response to the potential for an attack by European Crusaders, and in 1176 AD he started building walls around both Al-Qahirah (now Islam) and Fustat (ancient Cairo).
El Din Salah He was born in Tikrit, Iraq, in the year 1137, and studied the law, astronomy, mathematics, theology, and the Koran. He was trained by his uncle Asad al-Din Sirkoh, a commander of the Zengid dynasty, who was a military man at the period.
During military engagements, Salah El Din was capable of taking the reins. This is as a result of his outstanding fighting performance. He advanced from being a soldier to being the king of Egypt and Syria thanks to his remarkable talent and deftly applied strategies. Because of his strength, he was able to depose the Fatimid dynasty and keep control of Egypt.
The citadel developed as the focal point of these massive defenses, guarding the city from the steep hills that towered above it. After Saladin’s castle was finished in 1183 AD, Kedib took over as the Egyptian capital for 700 years until Ismail relocated to the recently finished Abdeen Palace in the heart of Cairo.
Citadel of Salah El Din:
When it served as a crusader castle, the modern citadel looked substantially different. It has been expanded upon and altered by numerous monarchs. Sultan al-Nasir Muhammad constructed a mosque there in the fourteenth century. Saladin’s original walls are just near to the mosque that still bears his name and the fort’s southern enclosure. The 19th century saw the most significant development.
Muhammad Ali Mosque:
However, when Muhammad Ali came to power, he was determined to destroy the fort’s palaces and eradicate the influence of the Mamluks, who dominated Egypt for six centuries before him. He also constructed a notable monument in Cairo.
To honor his late son, a mosque made of alabaster stands tall over the rest of the compound. The most noticeable aspect of Cairo’s eastern skyline is its silhouette. In addition to these two mosques, the Citadel is home to the National Military Museum, the Police Museum, and a number of smaller museums devoted to Mohammed Ali’s Palace. The National Military Museum is loaded with uniforms and weapons from Egypt’s lengthy history.
In the northern boundary, behind the National Military Museum, there is a third mosque as well. Salih Pasha Although His Mosque is smaller than Mohammed Ali or Al Nasir, it is a magnificent example of an Ottoman-style mosque and is elaborately ornamented.
Despite all of this, the citadel’s perspective over Cairo may be its greatest asset. When you look outside the city, it’s evident why it was given the moniker “City of a Thousand Minarets,” and on a clear day, you can even make out the shapes of the Giza Pyramids.
