Two towers at Cairo Citadel to open soon

Secretary General of Egypt’s Supreme Council of Antiquities (SCA) Mostafa Waziry inspected the 12th-century Salah al-Din al-Ayyubi Citadel, also known as Cairo Citadel, and the surrounding area in preparation for the opening of the Ramla and Al-Haddad Towers.

The two towers and the Citadel’s panorama area have been undergoing restoration.

The opening of these unique archaeological sites at the Citadel soon will promote the cultural product of Greater Cairo, which will make Cairo an independent tourist destination, increase the average number of tourist nights and increase one-day trips, Waziry said.

Ramla Tower, built during the era of Sultan Al-Nasser Saladin Al-Ayyubi (1174-1193), is in the shape of a three-quarter circle and consists of two floors. Each floor has a base on which three cubits are perpendicular, with each cubit having an arrowslit.

The tower was expanded during the era of Sultan Al-Adil Al-Ayyubi (1200-1218), so the arrowslits were turned into door openings leading to rectangular rooms covered with vaults, each room ending with an arrowslit opening.

Al-Haddad Tower, one of the largest towers of the Citadel, is also in the shape of a three-quarter circle. It consists of a perpendicular base with a shield in the middle covered by a crossed vault. It has three cubits that end with embellished openings. Then two embellished openings turn into two doors that lead to a corridor in the form of a semicircle covered with intersecting vaults.

The citadel has 12 additional towers, but they are currently closed.

Abu Bakr Abdullah, Head of the Islamic, Coptic and Jewish Antiquities Sector at the SCA, said that the restoration of the two towers includes cleaning the stones, replacing damaged stones, maintaining the stone stairs, establishing balustrades to protect visitors, as well as maintaining the stone floors in preparation for including them in the Citadel’s itinerary.

Regarding the development of the panorama area, Abdullah indicated that it includes works to raise the efficiency of the infrastructure, create a runway to show the architectural elements of the buildings and walls of the Citadel, prepare visiting paths, and rehabilitate the Citadel’s entry and exit gates.