The Citadel of The Guarded Capital

 The Citadel of The Guarded Capital

Between the People of the City and the Governor's Mansion

The Fatimid fort, with its Palaces, was the headquarters of governance in the era of the Fatimids. When the power went to the Ayyubid dynasty, the headquarters of the government was moved to the Citadel.

When I stand before this great edifice, I come to discover that I need something greater than a time machine. This one day will not suffice to tour a whole historical era. Yet, I badly need to take this opportunity to visit the minds of those great people. I wonder how they were so talented and successful to choose this place as the site of the Capital. They selected a marvelous design; not only to make a great fortress, but also to create an architectural wonder that stands for thousands of years.

Saladin, this intelligent man had a genius military sense as he surrounded himself with distinguished men, such as the Secretary of State Baha'eddin Karakush, who has capitals been entrusted with the task of building the Citadel. Karakush wanted to immu nize Cairo against potential risks, and so he transferred the headquarters of the Fatimid rule to the fortress; to the Citadel.

Karakush also renewed Cairo walls as he  made them made of stones and not just clay bricks, and he extended these walls to surround not only Cairo the capital, but also all previous Egyptian (al-Fustat, al-Askar and Al-Qtaea).

If you are interested to start the jour ney, you must choose one of two inlets:

The first would be “al-Bab al-Gadeed” (the New Door), which was built by Muhammad Ali Pasha to replace the stairs runway door (which was the main gate of the Citadel). The Pasha decided to do so because he noticed that this runway and that of the "Inkishareyya" (the word refers to the bulk of the Ottoman army that is made of young men raised by the Caliph to be professional warriors) were not practical or appropriate for the passage of - vehicles and guns on wheels. Therefore, the Pasha paved the way for the ascendance and decadence from the Citadel. This new road is now known as the “New Door Street” or “Sekkat al-Mahgar" (the Quarry Road), overlooking the facade of

the Northern Gate. On the other hand, the western facade overlooks the “Inkishareyya” door and the old bureau of Books Archives (the Citadel registry log). This forefront area is characterized by its details that truly represent the architectural excellence of that time, as well as a commemorative plaque that reads: “O' you, the One Who opens closed doors!”. There area is also decorated with symbols of the Egyptian army, its units and weapons in the era of Mohamed Ali Pasha.

The second inlet would be the route of Bab al-Mokattam (also called the Mountain door). It was called so as it faces the cliffs of the Mokattam Mountain, i.e. the area that is now known as the gateway of Salah Salem. It is rumored that

when Muhammad Ali Pasha came to power, he paved the way between this door and his Citadel at Mokattam Mountain. Most of the features of this door and large parts of the wall are now lost.

The northern section of the Citadel is the first part of it that faces the land beneath, therefore, it was essential to fortify

this part with great towers. This area was allocated basically as a residence for the soldiers, training them and to prepare them to join the army. You can see the wonderful antiquities and the greatest monuments there, such as the Suliemani yah Mosque (Sareyat al-Gabal Mosque).

The place out there breathes the spiritu ality that separates you from the physi cal earthly world and welcomes you to the world of a spiritual magic, where the past puts the hallmarks of splendor on the scene. This mosque is characterized by it sharp slim Minaret (known as 'the pen cil'). Another monuments is the “Harim Palaces” ("Harim' means 'women'), which are three palaces that were mistakenly known by that name (Harim Palaces) while in fact they were built as houses for the orphans of the family of Moham med Ali, and the Mamluk princes. This area now includes the Military Museum, which tells the story of the Egyptian military since the Pharaonic era till the present day. Next to the Harim Palaces, there is “the Red Palace”, which was built to be the premises of the College of Engineering, and then it became the headquarters of the War College until it was moved to Abbasiya.

The soldiers' space is separated from the Sultan's royal space by the Citadel Gate (Bab Borg al-Quella), which is now known as the Military Museum Gate.

At this arena before the door, the princes used to wait for a permission to enter.

The name comes from the tower that was built by al-Zahir Baybars and then demolished by Sultan Qalawun to build in stead his the famous green dome, which stands before us at the forefront is the roy al part of the Citadel, facing the mosque of al-Nasir Muhammad Bin Qalawun, one of the most beautiful and celebrated

 . mosques for its majestic character. This mosque stands immediately in front of the most famous and central building in the area that attracts the eyes of visitors; the Mosque of Muhammad Ali. There is a common mistake usually made by many people as they call it “the Citadel of Muhammad Ali”, while in fact it is the Citadel of Saladin. The error is caused by the famous silver domes built in the famous Mosque of Mohammed Ali Pasha, which are based within the walls of the Citadel and thus became a hallmark of the Citadel of Saladin. The Mosque of Mohammed Ali Pasha has been established following the Ot toman-style of mosques in Istanbul. It is truly a masterpiece from inside and out side as well. To tell you the truth, if you became interested in visiting this mosque, you will not have time to visit the rest of the features of the Citadel; this captivat ing mosque will keep you for long explor ing its beauty and figuring out the secret of its greatness. Have you been deeply astonished of · magnificence and luxury of the place?! You are now prepared for another sur prising and astonishing monument,

al-Ablaq Palace. This palace, which you might assume that there are lots of mysterious stories filled with magic and mixed with myths stand behind it, has a living witness for all of its history. The witness is the old tree that stood by it, void of any leaves for a very long time. This brings to my mind the phrase “Trees Die Standing". We now have a date with another wonder; the well of Yousuf, which is not only a marvelous construction, but also a mark of miracu lous engineering, which commends this establishment to fulfill its mission. Or dinary people believe it is attributed to

the Prophet Yousuf (Joseph) (peace be upon him), but the fact is that the name refers to the father of Saladin, whose name was “Yousuf Al-Ayoubi”.

The most distinguishing feature of this sphere is the “Gawhara Palace”; and its name is said to refer to “Gawhar” wife of Muhammad Ali Pasha, who is pampered as Gawhara (meaning a “Gem”).

The palace comprises several complex rooms and each room has tales and stories, even each piece of furniture has its own archaeological historical significance. The Citadel ends by the Sultan's stables, where Bab al-Azab stands, the most beautiful among all Citadel gates. It is attributed to al-Azab soldiers (who are basically a platoon of the army that used to live in this place). This door/gate was previously known as Bab al-Silsela (the door of the chain). Although al-Azab door is not used by visitors of the Citadel today, it still exists standing with its two glorious towers majestically overlooking the Citadel Square beneath (Saladin Square), where the Eid (Feast) prayers were held, and the Sultan used to review and inspect his soldiers and meet the ambassadors. This place was also the site where the celebrations and processions are held; the most famous of which was the official parade of al-Mahmal that was coming out of the Citadel walls carrying every year the new sheets for the holy Kaaba donated by the Sultan of Egypt.

Saladin was not only an intelligent politician or a skilled military leader; he was also a genius man with a vision as he allowed for the first time the people to live within the walls of Cairo. Thus, he managed to provide security for Egypt, not only through walls, towers and warriors, but also by the best power that could defend this country; its people...

Written by Neveen Ahmed