Qāitbāy Citadel
The Qāitbāy Citadel ( Kait Bey Citadel ) is a fortress in Alexandria located on the Mediterranean coast . The fortress was built as part of the coastal defense against a growing threat from the Ottomans . It is located on the eastern side of the northern Pharos Peninsula at the mouth of the eastern harbor and is connected to the mainland by a built-up dam.
history
The citadel was built from 1477 to 1479 (882 to 884 AH ) under the Mameluks - Sultan el-Ashraf Saif ed-Dīn Qāitbāy (* 1416, † 1496) on the ruins of ancient Pharos . The rubble of the destroyed lighthouse and the foundation were used as building material. The citadel was designed in Islamic fortress architecture by Qagmas Al-Eshaqy on three floors . In 1480 it was expanded to include fortress walls, which also housed prisoners. In 1517 it was damaged during a campaign of the Ottoman Sultan Selim I , but was also used by its new rulers due to its great military importance.
The Ottoman Empire lost its military strength in the centuries that followed, and so the citadel began to lose its military importance. In 1798, during the Egyptian expedition of the French, it fell into the hands of Napoleon Bonaparte , who had little difficulty mainly due to the weak garrison and the superiority of modern weapons. Inside they found some weapons at the time that went back to the campaign of Louis IX. let date. These could originally have been booty from the Battle of Mansura (1250).
When Mohammed Ali became Egypt's ruler in 1805, he renovated the old citadel and equipped the fortress with the most modern weapons of the time, especially cannons. The citadel was also preserved by his successor until 1882. However, Egypt had amassed large debts in previous years, placing it under international financial supervision in 1878. When Ahmad Urabi wanted to free Egypt from foreign influence through the Urabi revolt in 1882, Great Britain intervened and the British fleet bombed Alexandria on July 11, 1882 in preparation for a landing. A large part of the city, especially in the area of the citadel, was destroyed. The north facade was damaged by the bombardment and the west facade was almost completely destroyed.
In 1904 the Ministry of Defense decided to rebuild the upper floors. King Farouk wanted to convert the citadel into a royal rest stop and pushed ahead with the renovation.
After the revolution of 1952 the building became a naval museum. The largest renovations were carried out in 1984 on the initiative of the Supreme Council of Antiquities . Today the fortress is home to a mosque and a naval museum.
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c d e f Archived copy ( memento of the original from September 26, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ a b c Archived copy ( memento of the original from September 24, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ http://www.science-at-home.de/wiki/index.php/jahr_1480
- ↑ http://geschichte-der-menschheit.de/die-sieben-weltwunder/der-leuchtturm-von-alexandria.html ( page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ http://de.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Alexandria
- ↑ a b http://de.structurae.de/structures/data/index.cfm?ID=s0002463
- ↑ Ottoman Empire
- ↑ Archived copy ( memento of the original from August 8, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ Urabi Movement
Web links
Coordinates: 31 ° 12 ′ 48 ″ N , 29 ° 53 ′ 7 ″ E