The citadel of Salah Eddin al-Ayoubi—frequently known to English speakers as Saladin (ruled Egypt from 1171 to 1193)—is one of the greatest monuments of medieval warfare, and is a highly visible landmark on Cairo’s eastern skyline. It is located on a limestone promontory that had been detached from its parent Muqattam Hill by quarrying. This location provided a strategic advantage both to dominate Cairo and to defend outside attackers. Saladin had come from Syria where each town had some sort of fortress to act as a stronghold for the local ruler so it was only natural that he should carry this concept with him to Egypt.
Saladin used the most modern fortress building techniques of the time to construct the citadel. Great, round towers were built protruding from the walls so that defenders could directly flank fire on those who might scale the walls. The walls themselves were ten metres high and three metres thick. To supply water to the citadel, Saladin dug Bir Youssef (Joseph’s Well) which is still there today.
The Citadel remained the ruler’s headquarters during the time of Saladin and until Khedive Ismail moved it to Abdeen Palace in the 19th century. As such, it witnessed the most significant historic events, including Napoleon’s military campaign against Egypt in 1798.
The Culture Ministry recently completed a project to illuminate the citadel, allowing anyone within sight to see it in full glory and savour its unique architectural beauty.
The project involved the installation of 1500 light fixtures of different types; the colours of the light were chosen to conveniently highlight the various parts of the monument without doing any harm in the long term. Dr Ali Hilal, Head of the Projects Department of the Supreme Council of Antiquities told Watani that the project involved illuminating the citadel, its fencing wall, towers, domes, minarets and court as well as the mosques and museums in its grounds. Bir Youssef has also been meticulously restored. The works, which were executed by Egyptian hands, were jointly designed by the Sound and Light Company and Italian specialists, using state-of-the-art lighting technology. The project took 18 months to complete and cost some EGP47 million.