Qaitbay Citadel
The Sultans Qaitbay Fort is a must-see when you are in Alexandria.

Egypt is full of amazing things to see, exciting things to do, and essential things to learn. It also has delicious food made with fresh local ingredients and friendly and helpful people who are always there to meet your needs.
Egypt is home to many well-known tourist sites, such as the Pyramids of Giza, the Great Sphinx, the western and eastern banks of the Nile, and the various Nile cruises available in 2020. Although they are not known as some other sites, this does not make the interest in them less critical.
Although the Citadel of Qaitbay in Alexandria is an important historical site, not many tourists visit it.
This fort was built on the Mediterranean coast to protect the area but is now mainly used as a tourist attraction.
Today, we’ll look at the Citadel of Qaitbay in Alexandria, Egypt, to learn more about its history, how it was built, and how it has changed over time.
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Find Qaitbay on a map and write down the exact coordinates of where it is.
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What Qaitbay means in history
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Work is being done in Qaitbay.
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You might be able to find Qaitbay’s fortress by using the following landmarks:
The Qaitbay fort is in Egypt, near the city of Alexandria on the Mediterranean. This shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone. Alexandria, the biggest city in Egypt, is at the southeast point of the Mediterranean Sea.
You have to see the Qaitbay Castle if you ever go to Egypt. Sultan Al-Ashraf al-Din Quit Bay was built in 1477. The fortress is in Old City Alexandria, known for its long history and beautiful architecture.
The Fort of Qaitbay has an interesting and long history.

The famous Lighthouse of Alexandria is located within the walls of the Citadel of Qaitbay, which is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is close to the easternmost point of Pharos Island.
The earthquake hit the most famous lighthouse of its kind. Just before the quake, they had just finished making some significant changes.
Qaitbay’s fortifications were built around 1480 by order of the Circassian and Mamluk Sultan al-Ashraf al-Ashraf to protect against a possible Turkish invasion.
Qaitbay Fort was an excellent defensive structure during the Mamluk, Ottoman, and modern eras. By the turn of the 20th century, Alexandria was already a crowded city, but the city’s population growth didn’t increase until after that. Although Alexandria has a long history and was once seen as a bustling city, its population has been steadily declining over the past few decades. After a lot of work to reform society, it happened. The British bombing of Alexandria caused a sharp decline in the number of people living there, which did not begin to shift until many years later.
The Qaitbay Citadel was planned and built by Sultan Al-Ashraf Qaitbay, who was an essential person in his own right and was also responsible for building Qaitbay Palace.
He spent his entire childhood as an enslaved person in Egypt, where he was bought and sold several times until he was finally released as a young man. At this point, he was an enslaved person in Egypt for a long time.
When Qaitbey escaped prison, he worked hard at his two jobs as Sultan of the kingdom and commander-in-chief of the army. He continued his busy schedule for a long time.
After 29 years of Qaitbay’s rule, different kings took an interest in the citadel. But Muhammad Ali and Sultan Qanush al-Ahd al-Ghouri were the best for the fort. Qaitbay’s record-breaking 29-year rule remains the longest in the city’s history, and it was Qaitbay who held the responsibility for the longest time. During their time in power, Qaitbay’s successors paid a different amount of attention to the citadel. The property was called Qaitbay during this time.
Throughout the 20th century, the Ministry of Defense worked hard to improve the upper floors of the citadel, where Qaitbay is located. The regiment was moved to a location near the water better to perform its new function as a naval museum. So, the defense was again the most important thing. After these changes, people could return to the fort as they wished.
The history of the Fort of Qaitbay is both intriguing and long-lasting.

UNESCO has added the Citadel of Qaitbay to its list of World Heritage Sites. At one time, the legendary Lighthouse of Alexandria stood here. You won’t believe how close you are to Pharos Island’s easternmost point in this area.
This famous lighthouse was the last building of its kind to be destroyed by a natural disaster. It has been a long time since it was later fixed.
In 1480, the Circassian and Mameluke Sultan Al-Ashraf Al-Ashraf ordered the building of the Qaitbay Fortifications to keep the Turks out.
The Qaitbay Fort was used as a defense during the Mameluke, Ottoman, and modern times. Before the British took over, Alexandria was a popular tourist place, but many people stopped going there. After several improvements, though, it was used a lot again in the 20th century.
The Citadel of Qaitbay was built under the direction of Sultan Al-Ashraf Qaitbay. The story of Sultan Al-Ashraf Qaitbay’s life is interesting, even if you don’t know anything else about him.
He was a young adult when he was set free from slavery in Egypt.
After getting out of jail, Qaitbay didn’t waste much time before returning to work. As Sultan, he was in charge of his country’s government and military.
After Qaitbay ruled for 29 years, other kings took care of the castle differently. People often say that the cathedral’s success is due to Mohamed Aly and Sultan Qanush Al-Reigns Ghuri, who were in charge while it was being built.
The Ministry of Defense turned the top floors of the fort into a marine museum in the 20th century. People are again interested in the fort because of its new attention.
The building of Qaitbay took place in two stages:
Sultan Qaytbay soon took charge of things because he had been building and making art and had been very good at it all his life.
Qaghamis al-Ishaqi was responsible for the position of Edifices Mason.
He was responsible for constructing many vital buildings in Mecca and Damascus, including the Citadel of Qaitbay.
A man named Qaqamas al-Ashabi, known for being intelligent and humble, designed many of the buildings erected during the reign of Qaytbay. All construction projects in Qaitbay likely cost more than 100,000 gold dinars.
An ancient Islamic story says that work on the coastal fortress began in Rabi’ al-Awwal 882 AH, in the Gregorian calendar in November or December.
He went to Alexandria while on vacation at Gate Bay to ensure that the lighthouse was in good working order. People say that when he was in that area, he gave the green light to build the reinforced structure.
In the month of Sha’ban 884 AH, Qaitbay planned to stop at the construction site to see how the last details came.
Because of these things, Qaitbay has changed over the past few years from an abandoned castle to a busy and beautiful place for tourists to visit.
During the 20th century, the Quit Bey Fort was well taken care of, but most people have forgotten how important it was militarily and strategically in the past.
The building is now a naval museum and does little to honor its past as a military institution and a strategic center.
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