The Citadel of Qaitbay was built from 1477 to 1479 by the Mamluk Sultan QaitBay to defend Alexandria from the Crusaders. It was built on the site of the famed Lighthouse of Alexandria, which was already in ruins by the early 14th century. The citadel likely contains recycled stones from the lighthouse.
Since its construction, the Citadel has played an important defensive role for Alexandria. As power changed hands over the centuries, the citadel served as a protective stronghold on the Mediterranean for the Mamluks, Ottomans, French and British, in turn.
We first strolled around the fort and viewed the citadel from the exterior. The citadel appears to be a square thought its actual measurements are 130 meters wide and 150 meters long. From the approach, it looks like a castle with lots of typical Medieval features like bastions, arrow slits and the teeth-like crenellations that is the defining feature of the prototypical castle that every child loves to draw. As the sun was setting, we looked out to the Mediterranean and imagined watching the approach of enemy boats. The kids didn’t hesitate to act out the hand-to-hand-combat that would ensue once the enemy landed on our shores and fought their way into the citadel.
The citadel was constructed in the Mamluk architectural style that was popular at the time and has been renovated, altered and expanded to suit the changing needs of the rulers over the centuries. The first floor holds a defense hall and a mosque with beautifully well-preserved marble floors. Interestingly, the mihrab does not face Mecca because the strategic integrity of the fort took precedence over faith. Because it was getting late and the children were growing impatient, we didn’t climb the stairs to visit the second and third floors. The second floor contains various rooms and chambers, both large and small, with connecting passageways and the third floor contains the throne room where nearly 600 years ago, Sultan Qaitbay watched ships as they approached Alexandria.
11/28 卡特巴城堡
亞歷山大燈塔兮，世界奇蹟七之一。
十五世紀地震毀，原址石材城堡起。
遙想當年風雲兮，燈塔巍峨上天梯。
設計不凡氣勢壯，威震四海眾來儀。