4-Hour Cairo Citadel Tour with Mohammed Ali Mosque

The journey

Trip highlights

• 01 Explore the Citadel of Saladin, a medieval fortress built in 1183 AD
• 02 Visit the Alabaster Mosque of Mohammed Ali inside the citadel
• 03 Admire the mosque's alabaster-coated walls and gild-decorated crowns
• 04 Enjoy a panoramic view of Cairo from the citadel

Embark on an educational yet fun-filled tour to the Citadel of Saladin in Cairo with your knowledgeable tour guide. Learn about the history of this medieval fortress, built by Salah El Din El Ayoubi in 1183 AD, and visit the Alabaster Mosque of Mohammed Ali. Admire the mosque's remarkable architecture and enjoy a panoramic view over Cairo.

The walls of the mosque are coated with alabaster and crowned with gilded decoration.

From the itinerary

At a glance

What this trip includes

Duration 4 Hours

Tour type Private

Activity level Easy

Accommodation Not included

Transport Included

Wheelchair access Not applicable

City Cairo

Languages English

Day by day

The itinerary

1

Day 01

Citadel of Salah El Din and Panoramic Cairo Views

• Your guide will pick you up from your hotel in Cairo and transfer you by air-conditioned vehicle to the Citadel of Salah El Din. There, your guide will explain the history of the citadel. The complex comprises a number of important monuments, including the Alabaster Mosque of Mohammed Ali. The walls of the mosque are coated with alabaster and crowned with gilded decoration. It was designed by the architect Yousif Boushnaq, a Turkish man who came from Istanbul and built this great mosque for Mohamed Ali, the ruler of Egypt from 1805 to 1849, who ruled for more than 45 years.
• You will enjoy a panoramic view of Cairo.
• After the tour, you will be escorted back to your hotel.

The route

Where you'll travel

The fine print

Trip details

What's Included

• All service charges and taxes
• A private A/C vehicle for all transfers
• Admission fees to all sites included in your tour itinerary
• Pickup and drop-off transfers to and from your hotel in Cairo/Giza
• A private, professional tour guide who will accompany you throughout the tour

What's Not Included

• Tipping
• Personal expenses
• Any extras not mentioned in your tour itinerary

Know before you go

• Salah El Din Citadel in Cairo: Salah Al-Deen (known as Saladin to European historians) overthrew the Fatimid dynasty in 1171 AD, establishing the new Sunni Ayyubid Caliphate. Given the threat of invasion by European Crusader armies, Saladin decided to improve the city's fortifications. In 1176 AD, he began the construction of a wall that would encircle both Al-Qahira (today Islamic Cairo) and Fustat (Old Cairo). Saladin's Citadel served as the seat of government in Egypt for 700 years, until Khedive Ismail moved into Abdin Palace in newly constructed Downtown Cairo in the 1870s.
• Mohamed Ali Mosque: The Mosque of Muhammad Ali is located inside the Citadel of Salah al-Din al-Ayyubi (Saladin) in Cairo. It was built by Muhammad Ali Pasha (1220-1264 AH/1805-1848 AD), the founder of the Muhammad Ali Dynasty (1220-1372 AH/1805-1953 AD), on the site of Mamluk palaces. He demolished these to make room for his new building, also known as the

Logistics

Meeting & route

Meeting point

Cairo, Egypt

Tour start

Cairo, Cairo Governorate, Egypt

Tour ends at the same location as the start point.