5 h

Private

Class

About this activity

You will be picked up in an air-conditioned vehicle from your hotel in Cairo. You guide will then take you to the Saladin Citadel.

The construction of the Citadel of Saladin was started by King Saladin in 1170 A.D, and completed by his brother, King El-Addel. It is located on a high hill that overlooks the old city of Cairo. Saladin built this fortress to protect the old city of Cairo, and it mainly consists of enclosure walls and watchtowers, as well as many, many gates! As every 120 m there are gates into the Citadel that were built at various times in history.

The architectural plan of the fortress resembles many of the ones that were built in Syria and Palestine at the time of the Crusades. Later on, the Citadel became a major training center for the Egyptian army.The Citadel was neglected until the Mamluke Period, in the 14th Century, when they used it as a residence for the Sultan. Also, in that Century, the Sultan El-Naser Mohamed added many buildings, including a Mosque, inside the castle. During the Ottoman times, the Turks installed further reinforcements, and used it as a residence for the Turkish Viceroy, as well as increasing the number of garrisons in the Citadel. Mohammed Ali Mosque, a splendid towering mosque on the north summit of Salah Al-Din Citadel, where it can be seen from every part of Cairo. It is distinguished by its dome, which are 52m high, and its two minarets on the east side of the mosque, which rise 84m. It was so named "The Alabaster Mosque" because of the use of alabaster for coating its interior and exterior walls.

A visitor can easily locate the mosque due to its unique position, and is one of its prominent landmarks. Its establishment began in 1830 AD after the Ottoman style, and divided into two sections: The cast section contains prayers court. It is square in shape with a high dome (2i meters in diameter and 52 meters high). Its walls arc coated with Alabaster and it has gild-decorated crowns. The west section has a central court (sahn).

Continue on to a bazaar for a free Egyptian drink and the chance to purchase some souvenirs .

Following the tour of Saladin Citadel you will have the chance to taste and learn how to cook Egyptian food. You will be driven to an Egyptian family's home where you'll be greeted with a welcome drink.

You will then learn how to cook an Egyptian lunch with the family. Enjoy the lunch while chatting to your hosts. There will also be afternoon tea and coffee with the family.

After lunch you will be driven back to your hotel.

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Included

All transfers by a private air-conditioned vehicle
Bottled water
All taxes & service charges
Local guide
Hotel pickup and drop-off
Entry/Admission - Cairo Citadel

Not included

Any extras not mentioned in the itinerary
Gratuities

Additional

Confirmation will be received within 48 hours of booking, subject to availability
Children must be accompanied by an adult
Vegetarian option is available, please advise at time of booking if required
A minimum of 2 people per booking is required

Features

Tourism

95%

Food

75%

Cultural

75%

Original

15%

Reviews

5.0

1

E

Eric C

5 | 2018-09-19

We had an excellent day with our guide Muhamed Amen and driver Sherif. We took a short trip to the Saladin Citadel and Muhammed Ali Mosque got some excellent photos. We then visited some souqs marketplaces to purchase fruits and bread for lunch. Afterwards we went to Muhamed's home, where his wife Rania cooked for us an amazing meal which we ate with the entire family. We got to discuss a lot of topics ranging from day-to-day life as well as a little bit of politics. They also helped make drinks for us that would make us feel better we were starting to feel a little under-the-weather. Muhamed and his family really showed us how great Egyptian hospitality really was. I would absolutely recommend this tour!

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