What is the story of the Citadel of Qaitbay?
Qaitbay Citadel was made of limestone and spanned an area of approximately 17550 m2. An outer wall plotted with defence towers surrounds the building in Alexandria.
An inner wall surrounds the citadel’s courtyard and includes a number of rooms some of them used as barracks and others for storage.
The citadel’s entrance leads to the courtyard where we find the main tower located in the northwest. It consists of a massive three-floored square fort. Its four corners are occupied by half-circular towers that carry protruding balconies for the defence of the city. A tank near the tower supplied soldiers and their horses with water.
Qaitbay citadel drew the attention of rulers throughout the ages, on account of its strategic location. The building was also enlarged and subject to other conservation operations in 2003.
How was the Citadel of Qaitbay destroyed?
The Citadel retained the interest of Mohammed Ali's successors until the year 1882 when the Orabi Revolt took place. The British fleet bombarded Alexandria on 11 July 1882 and damaged a large part of the city, especially in the area of the Citadel. This attack cracked the fortress, causing great damage. The north and western facades were severely damaged as a result of cannon explosions, aimed directly at the structure. The western facade was completely destroyed, leaving large gaps in it.
The citadel continued to be an important strategic location of Muhammad Ali's successors until AH 1299 / AD 1882, when the Orabi Revolt took place in Egypt and the British navy bombarded the city of Alexandria, destroying its forts, damaging its defences and causing extensive damage and destruction to the citadel itself. The citadel was restored in 1982, and the High Council for Antiquities undertook the complete restoration of it in 2005.
How much does it cost to go to the Citadel of Qaitbay?
The Citadel of Qaitbay (or the Fort of Qaitbay; Arabic: قلعة قايتباي) is a 15th-century defensive fortress located on the Mediterranean sea coast, in Alexandria, Egypt. It was built from 1477 to 1479 AD (882–884 AH) by Sultan Al-Ashraf Sayf al-Din Qa'it Bay.[2] The Citadel is situated on the eastern side of the northern tip of Pharos Island at the mouth of the Eastern Harbour.
How old is the Citadel of Qaitbay?
The Citadel of Qaitbay It was built from 1477 to 1479 AD (882–884 AH) by Sultan Al-Ashraf Sayf al-Din Qa'it Bay.
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