📣✨ UNFORGETTABLE TRIP ✨📣 WEEK / SETTIMANA #121

A night visit to the Fort of Qaitbay in Alexandria Egypt

History of Lighthouse of Alexandria
The fort is located at the entrance of the eastern harbor on the eastern tip of the a very famous place called the Pharos Island. It was constructed and built on the site where the ancient Lighthouse of Alexandria once stood, a structure recognized as one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.

Various structural changes and modifications were applied to the lighthouse throughout different epochs in Egypt, yet the Lighthouse of Alexandria remained operational for numerous centuries. Restoration efforts commenced during the era of the notable prince Ahmed Ibn Tulun, around 880 AD. In the 11th century, an earthquake struck, damaging the octagonal section of the lighthouse. While the lower part endured, it was relegated to the role of a watchtower, upon which a small mosque was constructed at its summit. Another Two catastrophic earthquakes, one in 1303 and another in 1323, which finally led to the lighthouse's total obliteration.

The fort was built by Qaitbay in an effort to fortify this important Egyptian port from attack of rubbles

Around 1480 AD, the Mameluke Sultan AlAshraf Qaitbay reinforced the site as part of his coastal defenses against the Turks, who posed a threat to Egypt during that period. He commissioned the construction of the fortress and included a very big mosque within its walls.

The fort functioned throughout much of the Mameluke period, the Ottoman era, and into the Modern age, but following the British bombardment of Alexandria in 1882, it fell into obscurity. It remained neglected until the 20th century, when the Egyptian Ministry of culture undertook several restoration projects which led to complete revamping of the site .