fort of Qaitbey, Alexandria

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Don't get fooled paying LE 50 to see the Fish Museum inside Fort Al Qaytbeit!..it's so ugly, unnecessary and so not worth to see.

But the Fort itself is so gorgeous. Its color is contrast with the blue sky.

In front of the Fort you may see several stalls selling souvenirs. If you Bargain hard you may get alot of souvenir cheaper than in Bazaar El Khanlili.

Alexandria was famous about two things and both of them were a wonder of the ancient world. One of these it was the Pharos (Lighthouse) which is not existing any more but it's place is occupied today by Fort of Qaitbay

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It was suspected for years that the Great Lighthouse was on this site, but on in recent years have they found evidence to confirm it. The Fort that resides on the site is beautiful. Well built and very interesting. Great place to take pictures of the city and the ocean.

The island of Pharos was a major port having two huge harbors. The Fort was built in the 1480's by Sultan Qaitbey, on the site of Alexandria's ancient lighthouse.

Parts of the remains of the lighthouse can be seen in the construction of the old fort. One of the seven wonders of the ancient World, the lighthouse was an astonishing 125m in height with approximately three hundred rooms at the bottom for workers. Running through the center was a double spiral ascent and hydraulic machinery that raised fuel to the top.

The lantern at the top of the lighthouse remains a mystery. Some say it contained a polished steel mirror that reflected light by day, and fire by night. Others say it was made of transparent glass. The lantern and the top two stories fell around 700 AD according to many reports, and the rest of the lighthouse was destroyed by an earthquake around 1100.

In its place a Mosque was built, which was damaged by an earthquake in the 14th century. The entrance is through a gateway made of red Aswan granite. Located beside the mosque is a cistern that was used to store water in case of a siege. Also located inside the fort is the Naval Museum which contains artifacts from the Roman and Napoleonic sea battles.

The views of the Alexandria coastline and the bay from the top of the fort are great!!

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The good news is that this is an impressive fort overlooking the Mediterranean. The bad news is that an even more impressive lighthouse once stood here. This marks the spot of the Pharos lighthouse, which was one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. The current fort contains an old mosque and has some very fantastic lookouts towards the sea and the city. Even on a summer day, there are some areas to stand where a very nice ocean breeze can be felt. It certainly beats the heat of Cairo and Luxor. Scuba divers also explore this area as some of ancient Alexandra lies below the water. The fort stands near the entrance to the city's harbor.

The ancient Lighthouse of Pharos in Alexandria was destroyed by an earthquake in the 14th century. In its place stands the present Fort Qaitbey, a castle built presumably from remnants of the ancient lighthouse. Located on the harbour front, you cannot miss this monument. Even if you do not enter the fort, it is a very pleasant stroll along the waterfront promanade.

L'ile de Pharos separait deux ports enormes. Situe a l'entree nord du port de l'Est, le fort a ete construit dans les annees 1480 par le Sultan Qait Bey, sur l'emplacement du Phare d'Alexandrie. Une des sept merveilles du monde antique, le phare avait 125 metres de haut avec approximativement trois cents salles. Par le centre etait une double montee en spirale. La lanterne au dessus du phare reste un mystere. Certains indiquent qu'il contenait un miroir en acier poli qui reflechissait la lumiere le jour, et le feu la nuit. D'autres indiquent qu'elle a ete faite de verre transparent. Le phare a ete detruit par un tremblement de terre autour de 1100. A son emplacement une mosquee a ete construite, qui a ete endommagee par un tremblement de terre au XIVe siecle. Construit dans un style medieval, le fort a ete entierement restaure en 2001/2002 ; il abrite le Musee de la Marine qui contient des objets des batailles navales romaines et de Napoleon ..

L'entree se fait par un passage en granit rouge d'Assouan. Pres de la mosquee, il y a un reservoir qui a ete utilise pour stocker l'eau en cas de siege. Adjacent au fort, l'Institut hydro-biologique contient une grande variete de poissons rares. Plus a l'est du quartier d'Anfouchi, il y a une petite necropole de cinq tombes datant de l'epoque Ptolemaique ..

Bertrand Noble

The Citadel of Qaitbey
The Citadel was built in the 1480's by Sultan Qaitbey.
The entrance is through a gateway made of red Aswan granite.
Also located inside the fort is the Naval Museum which contains artifacts from the Roman and Napoleonic sea battles