The Qaitbay Citadel throughout History
Since the Qaitbay fortress is one of the most important establishments in Egypt, many kings and rulers who ruled the country have given special attention to this amazing piece of Islamic architecture in Alexandria Egypt.
Beginning with Sultan El Ghory, the last Burji Mamluk to rule Egypt, in the 16th century from 1501 till 1516, as he renovated many sections of the Qaitbay fortress, provided the citadel with more weapons and soldiers, and renewed some parts that needed restorations.
When the Ottomans ruled Egypt, they took the citadel as an important stronghold for protecting the North coasts of Egypt. They added ranks and categories to the soldiers of the citadel in Alexandria and divided them into pedestrians, knights, and artilleries. Moreover, when the French army invaded Egypt in 1798, they took control of the citadel as their starting point to rule over Egypt.
Mohamed Ali, the builder of modern Egypt, recognized the importance of the citadel of Alexandria when he became the ruler of Egypt he resorted the walls of the citadel and added more modern canons in order to preserve this important part of the land of the Nile.
After the revolution of Ahmed Orabi in 1882, the city of Alexandria was exposed to sever booming by the British Army and this resulted in many cracks in the walls of the citadel which remained like this for more than 25 years through Egypt’s history.
In 1904, the Islamic monuments preserve committee made many renovations and restorations in the Qaitbay Citadel of Alexandria based on the studies carried out by the French scientists and scholars during their occupation of Egypt.
Today, the Qaitbay citadel has become one of the most popular historical sites in Alexandria which is often visited by Egyptians and also the travelers who enjoy their tours in Alexandria city.