The Citadel

This was built by Saladin, the conqueror who put an end to the crusaders. Well, that's how history sees it but the crusaders has other problems that led to their demise. This was supposed to be Saladin's residence and garrisons but he never lived in it. His successors built and expanded the Citadel complex and when the Mamluks took over Egypt, they again built upon it. Today only part of Saladin's original complex survived. Much of Cairo's skyline showcased Mamluk reign and occupation. All of Egypt's conquerors ruled from the Citadel. Most Mamluk buildings have disappeared except the Al-nasr mosque. Don't worry if you can't keep track of the names of all the historical figures in Egypt. I have to read it many times before I can remember most of them, who came after whom, who were the Fatimids, Abbuyids and so on. Mamluks? Forget about it. Islamic Cairo is still a very interesting area and one can spend a lot of time here just trying to figure out all the historical names. The Citadel sits high on the hills above Cairo and from here gives an incredible vantage view of all of Cairo as far as the Giza pyramids. It is amazing to be able to see the Giza pyramids. This was our first day and up to now has yet to go to Giza and to see them in the far horizon is an amazing experience. We didn't know where to start, there was so much to see in so short a time. The Citadel is as good a place to start as any and from here we can try to understand a little of the history of Egypt after the Pharaohs, much after the Pharaohs. When we arrived at the taxi stand in front of Ramses Hilton, they were calling out, 'Citadel?' We jumped into a taxi and here we were, at the Citadel. We spent a few good hours here. It is a huge complex, with military and police museums and other mosques. This was one of the oldest surviving mosques dating from 1318-35. 'Once the principal mosque of the Citadel, it was built in the congregational style with an arcaded courtyard, many of the columns reused from pharaonic, Roman, and Byzantine buildings. Plain though it is outside, it is beautiful inside,all the more so as Selim, the Ottoman conqueror of Egypt, stripped it of its marble panels which he shipped back to Constantinople, revealing its simple elegance.' This would be our first mosque and there were many others as beautiful. The older ones has a Byzantine similarity to them. Later we would visit a Coptic Christian monastery and there they claim to be the originator of all Islamic and Christian religious architecture. It was a great time to visit Egypt, we didn't see too many tourists and the weather was bearable. Egypt holds one third of the world's antiquities and so is an important stop. Imagine being here in the summer months, I can't.

I prefer the older structures like this one, the newer mosque are less interesting though a lot of people would disagree. The newer mosques are more ornate and more pleasing to the eye.