Cairo - Citadel

Commandingly situated at the foot of the Moqattam' Hills, the Citadel was begun in 1176 by Saladin, who is said to have used stone from the small pyramids at Giza. Of the original structure nothing now remains but the outer walls on the east side and a few towers in the interior; and the two palaces of the Ayyubid period, which were already half destroyed at the time of Selim's entry into the city, have disappeared almost without trace. Long in military occupation and closed to visitors, the Citadel is now to be restored and opened to the public.