{"id":18810,"date":"2026-09-23T08:38:46","date_gmt":"2026-09-23T08:38:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bookegypttravel.com\/monuments\/qaitbay-citadel\/"},"modified":"2026-09-23T08:38:46","modified_gmt":"2026-09-23T08:38:46","slug":"qaitbay-citadel","status":"publish","type":"monument","link":"https:\/\/bookegypttravel.com\/en\/monuments\/qaitbay-citadel\/","title":{"rendered":"Qaitbay Citadel"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The Citadel of Qaitbay was built by Sultan al-Ashraf Qaitbay in 1477 on the site of the Pharos of Alexandria \u2014 the ancient lighthouse that was one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Stone from the ruined lighthouse was used in its walls.<\/p>\n<p>Standing on a narrow peninsula at the entrance to the eastern harbour, the fortress is one of the most photographed landmarks on the Mediterranean coast of Egypt.<\/p>\n<h2>What you will see<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>The defensive walls and towers facing the sea.<\/li>\n<li>The central keep and the mosque inside the citadel.<\/li>\n<li>Reused ancient columns and blocks from the Pharos.<\/li>\n<li>Panoramic views over Alexandria\u2019s harbour.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Practical tips<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Combine with the Bibliotheca Alexandrina and the Corniche.<\/li>\n<li>Sunset is the best time for photographs.<\/li>\n<li>The site is windy \u2014 hold on to hats.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A Mamluk fortress built on the site of the ancient Lighthouse of Alexandria.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":15245,"template":"","monument-region":[566],"class_list":["post-18810","monument","type-monument","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","monument-region-alexandria-north-coast"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v28.5 (Yoast SEO v28.6) - 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