Citadel of Qaitbay
Qaitbay Citadel in Alexandria is distinguished by its geographical location on
the Mediterranean coast, as it was built more than 500 years ago over the ruins of one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World (the ancient Lighthouse of Alexandria )The lighthouse was built in the ptolemaic period and lasted for many centuries, until it was destruction due to the earthquakes that Egypt witnessed. Qaitbay Castle is considered as one of the most beautiful military castles in the Mediterranean sea. The sultans and rulers of Egypt took care of it throughout the different historical ages. The construction of the citadel of Qaitbay was completed after two years in 884 AH / 1479 AD.
The reason for the construction of this castle is to fortify and insurance the city of Alexandria and protect it from external aggression, specifically from the Ottoman Empire, which began to change the direction of its conquests from Europe to the East, so Sultan Al-Ashraf Qaitbay tried to fortify the Egyptian frontiers, and began building many castles.
Geographical location of the castle:
Qaitbay Castle is one of the most important monuments in the Alexandria. It is located near the Al-Anfoushi area(at the Eastern Harbor on the eastern side of Pharos Island's southern tip). It is located at the end of a land sanctuary that extends west of the eastern port of Alexandria. It was built on the ruins of the ancient Alexandria lighthouse. The castle was built on a large area of about 18,000 square meters, it was one of the most important defensive forts during the Mamluk era until the reign of Sultan Qansuah Al-Ghouri.
Description of the castle:
The area of the castle is about more than 4 acres, and on that area the external walls were built. The main tower of the castle is located on the northwest side. The main tower is a huge square building consisting of 3 floors. The main entrance to the castle is located on the southwest side of the fence.
The castle was built by Sultan Al-Ashraf Abu Al-Nasr Seif Al-Din Qaitbay. Sultan Qaitbay came to Egypt when he was no more than twenty years old. Sultan Qaytbay was a lover of the arts and was fond of architecture and construction, to the extent that he took building construction as one of the functions and tasks of the state. Qijmas Al-Ishaqi was responsible for following up on the construction of the castle. Qaitbay Castle is one of the best and most important castles on the Mediterranean coast.