Towers and Fortifications of Cairo Citadel

Salah al-Din began building the Cairo Citadel in 1176 CE on the Muqattam Hills to create a fortified seat that could defend both Cairo and Fustat. The fortress was completed and occupied by his successors and remained the principal residence of Egypt’s rulers for centuries. Its defensive system included massive curtain walls, towers, gates, passages and fortified enclosures adapted over time by Ayyubid, Mamluk and Ottoman rulers. The elevated location allowed control over approaches to the city and provided extensive views across Cairo. Many of the surviving towers belong to the northern enclosure and preserve evidence for medieval military engineering, including arrow slits, vaulted chambers and defensive projections. These fortifications are best understood as part of the wider Citadel archaeological area rather than as a separately ticketed monument.