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Cairo citadel opens another wing to public to attract more visitors
Reuters
February 18, 20248:38 AM PSTUpdated 3 days ago

[1/3]A view of the Al-Ramla and Al-Haddad towers after their renovation
for re-opening to the public, that will increase visitors and numbers of
visiting hours for Salah al-Din citadel, which was constructed under the
Muslim military commander Salah al-Din al-Ayyubi around 1176 A.D, in
Cairo, Egypt,... Purchase Licensing Rights, opens new tab Read more

CAIRO, Feb 18 (Reuters) - Cairo's citadel, one of the Egyptian capital's
most prominent landmarks, opened another wing housing two semi-circular
towers to the public on Sunday, to expand the country's tourist attractions.
One of the world's biggest mediaeval citadels, the Citadel of Cairo
dates back to about 1176 A.D. when construction began under the Muslim
military commander Salah al-Din al-Ayyubi, who later went on to conquer
Jerusalem from the Crusaders in 1187 A.D.
The fortress, also known as the Saladin Citadel and which towers over
Cairo, was the base of Egypt's government for over 700 years.
The newly opened section was used until recently as a private events
space and to house army and police barracks.
It includes the Ramla and Haddad (blacksmith) towers, built in the
decades following Salah al-Din's death by his successors Sultan Al-Adil
Al-Ayyubi and Sultan Al-Nasser Saladin Al-Ayyubi.
Tourism minister Ahmed Eissa said opening the additional section to the
public was part of a broad plan to improve tourism in Egypt that will be
formally announced next month.
"I'm being told by travel agencies that the citadel visit doesn't last
more than an hour. Our plan in the coming months is to extend the time
in which visitors tour the citadel from one hour to at least three," he
told reporters.
"This is the first effort we're making to relaunch Cairo as a new
cultural product which we will call 'Cairo City Break', with the details
to be unveiled in the coming months," Eissa added.
Reporting by Sayed Sheasha; Writing by Patrick Werr; Editing by Susan Fenton

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