Perched on a rocky spur of the Mokattam Hills, the Cairo Citadel has dominated the city's skyline for over 800 years. Saladin began construction in 1176, and for six centuries this fortified complex served as the seat of Egyptian power — a place where sultans, Mamluks, and Ottoman governors all left their mark in stone. The result is a layered, sometimes contradictory monument that rewards curiosity: Byzantine columns repurposed inside medieval mosques, Ottoman pavilions grafted onto Ayyubid walls, and sweeping views over a city of 20 million that stretches to the pyramids on clear days.
Castle