Lighthouse of Alexandria Citadel
The Lighthouse of Alexandria Citadel is located at the entrance to the eastern harbor on the eastern tip of Pharos Island. And was built on the exact site of the famous Lighthouse of Alexandria, which was one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.
The lighthouse continued to function until the time of the Arab conquest,
after which several disasters occurred and the shape of the lighthouse was slightly changed, but still continued to function. Restoration started in the period of Ahmed Ibn Tulun 880 AD.
In the 11th century an earthquake occurred that damaged the octagonal part.
The bottom survived, but it could only serve as a watchtower,
and a small mosque was built on top. In the 14th century there was a very destructive earthquake and the entire building was completely destroyed.
About 1480 AD. the Circassian Mameluke Sultan Al-Ashraf Qaitbay fortified the place as part of one of his coastal defenses against the Turks, who were threatening Egypt at the time.
He built the fort and placed a mosque in it. The Lighthouse of Alexandria Citadel remained during most of the Mameluke period,
the Ottoman period and the modern period function, but after the British bombardment of Alexandria in 1882 it was kept out of the spotlight.
It was neglected until the 20th century, then restored several times by the Egyptian Supreme Council of Antiquities.
The founder of the Citadel of Qaitbay is a Circassian Sultan named Al-Ashraf Abu Anasr Saif El-Din Qaitbay El-Jerkasy Al-Zahiry 1468–1496 na. B.C. who was born about the year 1423.
He was a Mamluk less than 20 years old who had come to Egypt as a young man. Bought by Al-Ashraf Bersbay, he remained among his servants until Al-Ashraf Bersbay died. Then the Sultan Jaqmaq Qaitbay bought him and later gave him his freedom.
Qaitbay subsequently went on to occupy various positions.
He became the chief of the army during the reign of Sultan Timurugha.
When the Sultan was dethroned, Qaitbay was appointed as a Sultan with the title Almalek Al-Ashraf on Monday, April 26, 1468. He was one of the most important and prominent Mameluke Sultans, who ruled for about 29 years.
Hij was een dappere koning, die probeerde een nieuw tijdperk met de Ottomanen te initiëren door ambassades en geschenken uit te wisselen.
made many prominent trips and was fond of art and architecture and he had an important position in the administrative system of the state. He built many useful structures in Mecca, Medina and Jerusalem.
In Egypt there are about 70 renovated buildings attributed to him, including mosques, Madrasas (Koran schools), agencies, fountain houses (Sabils, Kuttabs), houses,
military buildings such as the Citadels in Alexandria and Rosetta today called Rashid.
These Citadels were built to protect the north of Egypt,
mainly against the Ottomans, whose power in the Mediterranean area increased sharply.
In 1477, Sultan Qaitbay visited the site of the old lighthouse in Alexandria and ordered that a fortress be built on the old foundations of the lighthouse. Construction took about 2 years,
and it is said that Qaitbay spent more than a hundred thousand gold dinars on the work on the Citadel.
When construction was completed, Sultan Qaitbay traveled again to Alexandria.
He provided the fortress with a legion of soldiers and various weapons. He also dedicated, as Ibn Ayas said,
various waqfs from where he financed the construction work as well as the salaries of the soldiers.
During the Mamluk period,
and because of its strategic location, the Citadel was well maintained by all rulers who came after Qaitbay
The Sultan Qansuh al-Ghuri gave the Citadel special attention.
He visited it several times and increased the strength of the garrison by supplying it with various weapons and equipment.
It included a large prison made for the princes and the statesmen whom the Sultan for some reason kept away from his favor.
At some point Qansuh Al-Ghouri traveled to Alexandria with other princes.
They went to the Citadel of Qaitbay where he saw some maneuvers and military training on the Citadel’s defensive weapons of that time.
When he sensed the approach of the Ottoman threat,
he issued a military decree forbidding the taking of weapons from the Citadel, he even announced that the punishment for those who try to steal anything from the Citadel would be the death penalty,
and he ordered the inscription of this decree on a marble slate fixed to the door which led to the court.
It says in the name of God the Most Gracious the Most Merciful bismilah ramchmani. An order by order of our master, the noble rank, King Al-Ashraf Abu El-Naser Qansoh El-Ghoury,
may God make his dominion everlasting, that no body may take Makahel weapon, pistol powder, tools, or anything else from the noble tower in Alexandria: and any of the tower party, or Mameluke,
Slaves or Zarad Kashia, who breaks this decree and leaves the tower with anything will be hanged at the gate of the tower, deserving the curse of God” Dated Rabei Alawal 907 na. B.C.
After the Ottoman Turks conquered Egypt, even they took care of this unique Citadel.
They used it as a shelter, as with the Citadel of Saladin in Cairo and the Citadels of Damietta,
Rosetta, Al Borollos and El-Arish. They kept it in good condition and stationed it with infantry,
artillery, a company of drummers and trumpeters, masons and carpenters.
As the Ottoman army became weak, the Citadel began to lose its military importance.
In 1798, during the French expedition of Egypt, it fell into the hands of French troops,
mainly due to the weakness of the Citadel’s garrison and the power of French modern weapons at that time.
Inside, the French found crusader weapons, dating back to King Louis IX’s campaign. These could be loot from the Battle of Al Mansurah
When Muhammad Ali Pasha became ruler of Egypt in 1805,
he renovated the old Citadel, restored and repaired the outer ramparts and equipped the stronghold with the most modern weapons of the period, in particular the coastal guns.
We can consider the reign of Mohammed Ali as another golden age for the Citadel
The Citadel retained the interest of Muhammad Ali’s successors until the year 1882, when the Orabi Rebellion took place.
The British fleet bombarded Alexandria on July 11, 1882, damaging much of the city,
especially near the Citadel.
This attack broke the fortress and caused extensive damage.
north and west facades were severely damaged due to cannon explosions,
aimed directly at the structure. western facade was completely destroyed leaving large holes
The Citadel subsequently remained neglected until 1904 when the Ministry of Defense restored the upper floors.
Later, King Farouk wanted to turn the Citadel into a royal rest house, so he ordered its rapid renovation.
After the 1952 revolution, Egyptian naval forces turned the building into a Maritime Museum.
The largest restoration work dates back to 1984, when the Egyptian Antiquities Organization made ambitious plans to restore the fortress.
