Under the cloak of a clear sky and sensing the salt in the air, we headed towards the northern tip of Pharos Island on the Eastern Harbour of Alexandria. We drove past beautiful white-colored buildings along the Corniche, Alexandria's waterfront promenade, whose weathered paint gives the entire city an interesting look, a kind of sketch look, as if the person responsable for the completion of the drawing took a break at some point and forgot to finish the work. Later on that day, I would realize how different the Corniche's edifices look from a far away distance.

Our next stop: the Citadel of Qaitbay or Qaitbay Fort, a 15th-century defensive fortress on the Mediterranean sea coast. The history of this place shows the constant relationship that the people of this settlement have had with the Mediterranean sea throughout the centuries. 

Entrance of the Citadel, the fortified walls.

Front view of the Citadel of Qaitbay

First and foremost, the Citadel was built in the exact same place where the Pharos of Alexandria once stood! The Lighthouse of Alexandria (or Pharos of Alexandria), was one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World and also the tallest man-made structure on Earth for centuries! Built under the rule of Ptolemy I Soter, first of the rulers of the Ptolemaic Kingdom, it was badly damaged through the centuries due to several earthquakes. In 1994, French archaeologists discovered remains of the Lighthouse on the floor of the Eastern Harbour.

Remnant stones from the Lighthouse were used for the construction of the Citadel in 1480, when Mameluke Sultan Qaitbay, who was very fond of travel and made long journeys, fortified the place in order to defend the city from the growing power of the Turks in the Mediterranean region.

Kids playing around the Citadel.

The different shades of chalk-like white of the stones give the fort the color of a pearl. It makes you think about how large the Lighthouse was and how it might have looked from the ocean.

Qaitbay was also fond of art and architecture, so he created a new post among the administrative system of State: the Edifices Mason. Qagmas al-Eshaqy, the Edifices Mason, was the architect of the Citadel and overseer of many other constructions during Qaitbay's reign. Aware of the fort's strategic location, all the rulers after Qaitbay kept it in good state.

Even after Ottoman conquest, the Citadel was well-maintained. The Ottomans cared for this unique place and kept it in good conditions.
 In 1882, the British fleet bombarded the fort during the Orabi Revolt and damaged the Citadel.  It was then restored many times, of which the biggest effort was by the Egyptian Antiquities Organization in 1984.  

My favorite pic of the day: a fisherman just outside the Citadel. As a photographer, I always love to find objects or buildings that work as a frame for daily life scenes.

The fortified halls of the Citadel. Sometimes, taking pictures with the timer is the most complicated task.

This gap was for protection: when intruders came, soldiers would pour boiling water on them.

Beautiful Alexandria: this is what I was talking to you about, the Corniche buildings look simply fabulous in the sunlight. Seen from a far away distance, you don't notice the cracks on the buildings and the weathered paint. Both images are absolutely breathtaking.

Almost 5 o'clock, time where most (if not all) Egyptian landmarks close their doors.

The Mediterranean sea. I believe it is the Mediterranean which gives Alex its energy, its beauty, its everlasting charm. I loved this city.

My cute cousin Sophia and I.

The Citadel is probably one of Alex's most important landmarks, so I strongly recommend you to visit it if you are in the city. Nothing compares to glancing at the Mediterranean sea through the impressive structure of the Fort and looking at the city, the Corniche and the Eastern harbour shine in all their magnificence from this point of town. Whenever I think about Alexandria now, a smile comes to my face and I almost feel the sunlight caressing my face. I close my eyes and feel the sunbeams, smell the salty air and see the different shades of white shining like jewels. I open my eyes and I'm somewhere else, I'm at a place whose energy comes to me by constant flashbacks. I'm here and there. I'm where the sunlight always shines...


On my next post, I'll write about the  El-Mursi Abul Abbas Mosque, located near the Citadel! Don't miss it!

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Keep yourself where the sunlight shines and Happy weekend ;)
Astrid