Install I Love EgyptAdd it to your home screen · إضافة إلى الشاشة الرئيسية
How the great Saladin founded a new dynasty and fortified Cairo with the mighty Citadel from 1176 — the seat of Egypt's rulers for nearly 700 years.كيف أسّس صلاح الدين العظيم سلالةً جديدة وحصّن القاهرة بالقلعة المنيعة من عام 1176 — مقرّ حكّام مصر لقرابة سبعمئة عام.
In the late 12th century, one of history's most famous leaders reshaped Cairo: Salah al-Din, known in the West as Saladin. He ended the Fatimid caliphate, founded the Ayyubid dynasty, and — as champion of the Muslim world against the Crusaders — set about fortifying his capital. From 1176 he began building the great Citadel that would crown Cairo and serve as the seat of Egypt's rulers for nearly seven hundred years.
في أواخر القرن الثاني عشر، أعاد أحد أشهر قادة التاريخ تشكيل القاهرة: صلاح الدين، المعروف في الغرب باسم Saladin. أنهى الخلافة الفاطمية، وأسّس السلالة الأيوبية، وبوصفه نصير العالم الإسلامي ضدّ الصليبيين، شرع في تحصين عاصمته. ومن عام 1176 بدأ بناء القلعة العظيمة التي ستتوّج القاهرة وتكون مقرّ حكّام مصر لقرابة سبعمئة عام.
Saladin’s Egypt · مصر صلاح الدين
The end of one era, the start of another.نهاية عصرٍ وبداية آخر.
In 1171, Salah al-Din brought the long Fatimid caliphate to an end and founded the Ayyubid dynasty, returning Egypt to Sunni Islam. A brilliant general and statesman, he is best remembered worldwide as the leader who confronted the Crusaders and recaptured Jerusalem. Under the Ayyubids, Cairo became a stronghold of Sunni learning, with new madrasas (religious colleges) founded across the city, and the once-exclusive royal city of Al-Qahira was opened up to all its people.
The Citadel · القلعة
Saladin’s great stronghold.حصن صلاح الدين العظيم.
Saladin's most enduring mark on Cairo is the Citadel. Begun around 1176 on a spur of the Muqattam hills, it was a mighty fortress designed to defend the city and to unite the older centres of Fustat and Al-Qahira within one line of walls. Commanding the high ground with sweeping views over Cairo, the Citadel became the seat of Egypt's government — and it would remain the centre of power, through dynasty after dynasty, for nearly seven centuries.
A Lasting Legacy · إرثٌ باقٍ
The Ayyubid imprint on Cairo.بصمة الأيوبيين على القاهرة.
The Ayyubid dynasty itself was relatively short-lived, giving way around 1250 to the Mamluks — the slave-soldiers who had served them. But Saladin's impact endured. His Citadel remained the heart of Egyptian power through the Mamluk and Ottoman ages and into the 19th century, and his revival of Sunni learning shaped Cairo's religious life for centuries. Few rulers left so deep a mark on the city in so short a time.
Quick Facts · حقائق سريعة
Sources include standard histories of medieval Cairo. Some dates are approximate.