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Cairo & Giza · Muqattam Hills, Islamic Cairo
Salah al-Din's medieval fortress on the Muqattam Hills, seat of Egypt's rulers for centuries and home of the Mosque of Muhammad Ali.
The Citadel of Salah al-Din is a medieval fortress on the Muqattam Hills, at the southern edge of Cairo's medieval city, with a panoramic view of Cairo. Sultan Salah al-Din (Saladin) ordered it built in 1176 AD, and for centuries it was the official residence of Egypt's rulers. Its skyline today is the Mosque of Muhammad Ali, which dominates the Citadel.
Inside the walls stand the Mamluk mosque of al-Nasir Muhammad, the Ottoman-era mosque of Sulayman Pasha al-Khadim, Joseph's Well and several museums, among them the Police Museum and the Military Museum. The Citadel is one of the components of Historic Cairo, which UNESCO inscribed as a World Heritage site in 1979.
Known as the Alabaster Mosque for the marble paneling on its walls. A large central dome is ringed by four semi-domes, and its twin minarets, each 84 meters high, are the tallest in Egypt. In the courtyard stands the clock tower that Louis Philippe of France gave Muhammad Ali in 1845 AD.
Massive limestone walls and towers ring the Citadel. Most of the towers stand in the northern enclosure, the military part of the fortress; the southern enclosure held the ceremonial and residential buildings.
| Summer | 9:00 am – last entry 4:00 pm |
|---|---|
| Winter | 8:00 am – last entry 4:00 pm |
| Ramadan | 8:00 am – last entry 3:30 pm |
The Ministry's monuments website gives 8:00 am to 5:00 pm daily.
Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities ticketing portal, checked August 2026
| Adult | Student | |
| Citadel (one ticket for the site) | EGP 550 | EGP 275 |
Prices in Egyptian pounds, as of August 2026
The Citadel is the second stop on our Egyptian Museum, Citadel and Coptic Cairo day: 4.8 km from the Egyptian Museum in Tahrir, about 8 minutes without traffic. Your guide shows you the Citadel and the Alabaster Mosque of Muhammad Ali, and after lunch the tour drives 6.8 km, about 9 minutes, to the Hanging Church in Coptic Cairo. Entrance fees to the sites on the program are included.
The coolest months are December to February.
World Meteorological Organization climate normals (monthly averages, not forecasts)
Sultan Salah al-Din (Saladin) ordered it in 1176 AD. It was finished under Sultan al-Kamil, who moved in in 1207 AD and made it the residence of Egypt's rulers.
For the marble paneling on its inner and outer walls. Muhammad Ali Pasha built it in 1848 AD on the site of Mamluk palaces.
From 1207 AD, when Sultan al-Kamil moved in, until the mid-nineteenth century, when Khedive Ismail moved the official residence to Abdeen Palace in downtown Cairo.
From 9:00 am in summer and 8:00 am in winter, with last entry at 4:00 pm; in Ramadan from 8:00 am with last entry at 3:30 pm, per the Ministry's ticketing portal.
EGP 550 for foreign adults and EGP 275 for foreign students, as of August 2026. Children under 6 enter free.
Yes. It is one of the components of Historic Cairo, inscribed on the World Heritage List in 1979.
Sources: Egypt's Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities; UNESCO World Heritage Centre; World Meteorological Organization.
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