Citadel of Qaitbay

Timeline

1. 1477Site of the Lighthouse on Pharos Island, Alexandria · AlexandriaQaitbay and Mamluk emirs inspected Alexandria and decided to build a coastal fortress on the foundations of the collapsed Lighthouse of Pharos, to counter Ottoman naval expansion and pirate raids. Supervisors of construction included court engineering officials such as Qagmas; the plan made use of the limestone and granite remaining from the lighthouse.
2. 1478–1480Citadel of Qaitbay · AlexandriaAbout two years later the main keep was completed: a square three-story tower with sides several dozen meters long, semicircular bastions at the four corners with embrasures, and cisterns inside supplying the garrison and horses. Outer walls divided barracks, storerooms, and courtyards, commanding the eastern harbor channel. Around 1488 Qaitbay continued to strengthen Alexandria's coastal fortifications, and the citadel became the command node for Mamluk naval and harbor defense.
3. 1517Citadel of Qaitbay · AlexandriaAfter the Ottoman conquest of Egypt in 1517 the citadel continued to be garrisoned. It was renovated during the era of Muhammad Ali; in 1882 British bombardment of Alexandria damaged parts of the structure. In the 20th century Egyptian antiquities authorities carried out multiple restorations; the citadel is now a tourist site, and underwater remains near the shore preserve lighthouse-scale stone elements, giving the site dual significance for both Mamluk military history and the archaeology of the ancient lighthouse.