We then head to the Cairo citadel, which is a fortress build by Saladin in 1176 to defend the city from the crusaders. The Citadel was also home to the royal family for over 700 years.
The entrance fee of 50LE is a bit steep for local standards but it doesn't stop the local people in arrive in large groups.
Within the walls, there are 3 different mosques and several palaces housing various museums. The most famous building being the 19th Century Mosque of Muhammad Ali, which was modelled on the Mosque of Sultanahmet in Istanbul:
Soaring domes which are finely decorated
Centre courtyard
You can't quite tell from the pictures but the mosque was finished rather crudely.
There were bus loads of school kids running around in the site and they loves taking photos of us. I guess we were kinda exotic to them (and also thanks to the friendly relationship between China and Egypt) :-P
The clock in the background was a gift from King Louis-Philippe of France, in exchange for one of the obelisks from the Temple of Luxor and that obelisk is now housed in the Place de la Concorde in Paris.For most people, the best part of the visit is view from the terraces. On a clear day, you are supposed to be able to see the Giza Pyramids from here:
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