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Cairo Citadel
A military fortress and administrative center built by the Ayyubid dynasty at the foot of Mokattam Hill in Cairo, the old Fatimid capital, begun on S…
Timeline
- c. 1176–1180Foot of Mokattam Hill, Cairo · CairoTo defend against Crusader threats and control the old Fatimid capital, Saladin chose a highland overlooking Cairo and the Nile to begin building the fortress, rapidly constructing the defensive core from limestone and repurposed Fatimid palace stone.
- c. 1180–1250Cairo Citadel · CairoThe citadel gradually housed the sultan's palace, barracks, and arsenal, becoming the military-administrative hub of Ayyubid Egypt and influencing the later pattern of fortified layouts in Islamic cities.
Sources
- The Citadel of Cairo: A New Interpretation of Royal Mamluk Architecture — Nasser Rabbat (1995)
- Encyclopaedia of Islam, Second Edition: al-Ḳāhira — Various https://referenceworks.brillonline.com/