Alexandria
The citadel was built between 1477 and 1480 by the Mamluk sultan al-Ashraf Qaitbay to guard Alexandria against attack from the sea. It stands on the site of…
The citadel was built between 1477 and 1480 by the Mamluk sultan al-Ashraf Qaitbay to guard Alexandria against attack from the sea. It stands on the site of the ancient Pharos, the great lighthouse of Alexandria, which had been brought down by earthquakes, and some of the lighthouse's stones were used in its walls. A square keep of three storeys rises inside the outer walls, with a mosque on its ground floor, and visitors can walk through its halls and along the ramparts above the sea. The citadel is at the end of the Eastern Harbour, past the fishing boats of Anfushi, and the Alexandria Aquarium stands beside it.