Qaitbay: A Dream of A Fort

Sailing ships cutting through the waters of the Mediterranean Sea mourned the destruction of the Lighthouse of Alexandria. A series of events caused severe damage to the Lighthouse, and eventually, a powerful earthquake in the 14^th century led to its destruction.

Sailors longed for guidance afterwards, and the famous Qaitbay Fortress did not disappoint. The Qaitbay Fortress, or Citadel as you may call it, is located at the entrance of the Eastern harbour on the eastern part of Pharos Island in the Governorate of Alexandria, Egypt.

So, how can you get to Qaitbay Fort?

1.    In Alexandria for the day:

If you’ve come to Alexandria for the day and arrived there using the train, then you might like to get a taxi that will take you all the way from the Railway Station at Kom Ad Dakah Gharb through Al-Attarin, cruising through 26^th July/ El-Gaish Road.

The road parallels the Alexandrian Corniche and gives you a view of the sea all along the way until you reach Qaitbay Square in just 16 minutes. From there, you can take the remainder of the road on foot, casually swinging by Ice Cream Azza, the best ice cream you’ll ever taste.

2.    Staying in Alexandria for some time:

If you’re in the city for some time and are located in Sidi Gaber, the information desk at your hotel of choice would recommend the most suitable means of transportation to match your requirements. They might offer private transportation from the hotel that will take you to the entrance of the Qaitbay Citadel.

If you’d like to live the experience like Alexandrians, the hotel might suggest you easily catch the bus at the Sidi Gaber Bus Station. The trip lasts only 26 minutes and takes place on the main El-Gaish Road.

Qaitbay Fort – History Snippet

Taking off from whichever means of transportation you used, you will start feeling mighty as you inch closer to the vast fortress. The seemingly small building from afar, enormous up close, was established by Sultan Qaitbay in 88 AH/ 1477 AD. An inscription on the considerable metal plate greeting you at the main gate of the fort entrance states its building and it only took two years to finish.

Sultan Qaitbay’s order to build this beautiful fortress proved he could foresee the future. The fortress protected Alexandria’s shores against attacks by the Turks, who posed the most potent threat to the Egyptian borders during the Mameluke period.

Sultan Qaitbay – Founder of the Fortress

Sultan Abu Al-Nasr Sayf ad-Din Al-Ashraf Qaitbay is known throughout history as Sultan Qaitbay. He was the Burji Mamluke Sultan of Egypt from 872 to 901 on the Hijri Calendar (1468 to 1496 C.E).

Born in the Great Circassia of the Caucasus between 1416 and 1418, his unrivalled archery skills caught the eye of a slave merchant, who later sold him to Sultan Barsbay. Qaitbay served as a member of the palace guard and was later freed by Sultan Jaqmaq after learning That He was a descendant of the Ayyubid Sultan Al-Ashraf.

Qaitbay ascended quickly through the military ranks until he was appointed atabak, or field marshal, of the entire Mamluke army. During that time, he accumulated enough personal wealth to establish many projects when he became sultan without draining the sultanate’s treasury.

Qaitbay’s ascension to the throne came after a coup that overthrew his predecessor, Timuburgha. The various court factions later agreed on Qaitbay as a compromise candidate accepted by all factions. Securing a dignified dethroning of Timuburgha and exiling the coup leaders, Qaitbay began his rule by appointing rivals in opposite positions to prevent any of them from accumulating power.

The reign of Qaitbay is generally characterized by stability, politically and economically. Despite the military campaigns he engaged in, Qaitbay is most remembered for his architectural projects. Buildings that stood in the face of time bear his name in Mecca, Medina, Jerusalem, Damascus and Aleppo, not just in Egypt’s Cairo and Alexandria.

Qaitbay’s architectural patronage is perhaps only comparable and second to that of Al-Nasir Muhammad ibn Qalawun. He built a spectacular mausoleum, where he was buried, as part of a funeral complex in Cairo’s northern cemetery. In addition to buildings bearing his signature in Rosetta and Alexandria, he sponsored the building of the Fountain of Qaitbay in Jerusalem’s Haram esh-Sharif.  

Sultan Qansuh Al-Ghuri was Qaitbay’s successor after his death and after five years of political instability. The new Sultan visited the citadel several times, ordered the strengthening of its garrison, and even issued a military decree forbidding the taking of weapons out of the citadel. Alas, the city of Alexandria fell into the hands of the very threat Mamluke Sultans feared the most and worked hard to fend off: the Ottomans.

Qaitbay Fort – From the Ottoman Rule to the British Bombardment

The Turks took care of the Citadel when they invaded Egypt and used it for shelter, along with the citadel of Saladin in Cairo and those of Damietta, Rosetta, Al-Borollos and El-Arish. They enhanced their military power with infantry, artillery, a selection of trumpeters and drummers, masons and carpenters.

The Citadel began to lose its military importance after that. The weakening state of the Ottoman Empire led to the fall of the Citadel into the hands of French troops, who were said to have found some Crusader weapons inside it dating back to the campaign of Louis IX.

This mighty Citadel lived its prime years during the reign of Muhammad Ali Pasha of Egypt and his successors. As a result of the Orabi Revolution in 1882, battles broke out on the streets of Alexandria. The ignoring of the ultimatum given by the British fleet resulted in the bombing of the city.

The British bombardment of Alexandria caused massive damage to the Citadel and its surrounding area. Cannons were aimed directly at the citadel’s structure. The Citadel remained neglected after the bombardment, with its damaged north façade and destroyed western one.

Qaitbay Fort – Restoration Efforts

The state of the Citadel fluctuated as King Farouk intended to turn it into a royal residence. This resulted in a massive renovation process, except these efforts stopped when the 1952 Revolution occurred. The Egyptian Naval troops turned the Citadel into a maritime museum before The Egyptian Antiquities Organization started restoring it in 1984, making it the biggest restoration plan of the Citadel to date.

Structure of the Qaitbay Fort

Stepping through the outside walls of the Citadel, you are greeted by six canons, three on each side of you. At the end of the road ahead, you can see the designated entrance to the three-story square tower with four semi-circle defence towers at each angle of the central building. The towers contain openings that allow archers to target the approaching enemies.

Another two plates, yet made of marble, greet you at the entrance of the central tower. The first plate briefly describes the building: “Square building located in the northeast of the Citadel, 17 meters in height, 30 meters wide, and three levels.

In the first, the Citadel Mosque. In the second, galleries and chambers for military residence. In the third, stores for weapons and the commander cabinet.”

The second marble plate states the date of reopening the Citadel as a Maritime Museum in 1966. The Maritime Museum was inaugurated during the presidency of the revolutionary President Gamal Abdel-Nasser. The inauguration was part of the celebrations of the anniversary of the 1952 Revolution.

Interior of the Qaitbay Fort

Upon entering the main tower of the Citadel, you are greeted by wafts of history oozing from the various sides of the building. A maquette of the citadel’s original design dominates the room you walk into.

The recent building bears little resemblance to the original one, most notably the destruction of the mosque’s minaret, which was blasted off by the British forces. As you wander through the wide and narrow pathways, you will find several identification plates.

There’s “The Oil Fallout, which connects the first and second floors and is also used to pour hot oil on enemies.”

The Mosque, the second oldest mosque in Alexandria, occupies more than half of the first floor. It was designed in the Mamluke style: an open square called sahn surrounded by four small Iwans representing the four schools of Islamic religion.

You could imagine the soldiers taking turns in patrols as you run your fingers across the narrow outside windows overlooking the Citadel courtyard and the Mediterranean Sea on the other side—the cold nights in these stone-built secluded watch rooms.

The Sultan would share the watch-out with his soldiers through his chambers. Known as the Sultan Iwan, it was an expansive room with two windows—one overlooking the Citadel courtyard, which the Garrison commander used to follow military training. The Sultan used the other window enclosed in the north Sultan Iwan to watch ships a day away from the shore.

A dark Game of Thrones vibe will run down your spine as you find yourself in a long corridor lined with dark rooms that once served as prisons for any unfortunate who thought of taking any military supplies away from the Citadel when the Ottoman invasion loomed in the air.

This vibe is quickly dispersed when you find yourself in a round room: The Room of The Mill. As the name suggests, this was a room used for grinding seeds and making bread and food for the soldiers.

Before heading out to the north façade, you will pass by a reservoir now surrounded by metal rods to prevent anyone from falling inside as they look through the pout. Out through, the majestic scene of the Bibliotheca Alexandrina will greet you as you head outside of the north wall. The Bibliotheca is another Alexandrian monument that you must never miss out on.

You can stand still for a moment, taking in the atmosphere of the entire Citadel as you close your eyes, sit between the openings of the north wall and breathe in the salty sea air, a favourite sitting spot.

The angry sea waves hitting the seemingly random rocks beneath you somehow manage to pull all the negative thinking from your mind, drowning the depressing ideas that filled your head and, in exchange, replacing them with fresh breaths and a calmer attitude.

You can get lost in the sea waves, give your back to the Citadel courtyard, or even stand in front of that historic scene and take the best photographs.

Whether you want to learn about the significance of such a solemn structure and its historical importance, live a fictional adventure through the rooms of the main tower, or simply surrender your thoughts to the sea, the Qaitbay Fort has something to offer you. It welcomes you every day from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Have you ever been to Qaitbay Fort before? Let me leave you with some artistic shots I took during my visit there!