Cairo Citadel

Cairo Citadel قلعة صلاح الدين الأيوبي
Islamic Cairo, Cairo, Egypt
View of the Citadel, with the Ottoman-era gate of Bab al-'Azab, and the 19th-century Muhammad Ali Mosque.
Type	Citadel
Site information
Condition	Intact
Site history
Built	1176–1183 (original construction) 1310–1341 (major modifications) 1805–1848 (major modifications)
Built by	Saladin (1176–1183) An-Nasir Muhammad (1310–1341) Muhammad Ali Pasha (1805–1848)
In use
UNESCO World Heritage Site
Criteria	Cultural: (i)(v)(vi)
Designated	1979 (3rd session)
Part of	Historic Cairo
Reference no.	89-002
Materials	stone

The Citadel of Cairo or Citadel of Saladin (Arabic: قلعة صلاح الدين, romanized: Qalaʿat Salāḥ ad-Dīn) is a medieval Islamic-era fortification in Cairo, Egypt, built by Salah ad-Din (Saladin) and further developed by subsequent Egyptian rulers. It was the seat of government in Egypt and the residence of its rulers for nearly 700 years from the 13th century until the construction of Abdeen Palace in the 19th century. Its location on a promontory of the Mokattam hills near the center of Cairo commands a strategic position overlooking the city and dominating its skyline. When it was constructed it was among the most impressive and ambitious military fortification projects of its time.^[1] It is now a preserved historic site, including mosques and museums.

In addition to the initial Ayyubid-era construction begun by Saladin in 1176, the Citadel underwent major development during the Mamluk Sultanate that followed, culminating with the construction projects of Sultan al-Nasir Muhammad in the 14th century. In the first half of the 19th century Muhammad Ali Pasha demolished many of the older buildings and built new palaces and monuments all across the site, giving it much of its present form. In the 20th century it was used as a military garrison by the British occupation and then by the Egyptian Army until being opened to the public in 1983. In 1976, it was proclaimed by UNESCO as a part of the World Heritage Site Historic Cairo (Islamic Cairo) which was "the new centre of the Islamic world, reaching its golden age in the 14th century."^[2]