The Citadel

For the most part, I will let the pictures speak for themselves, because they are numerous and self-explanatory. A brief background: yesterday I went to the citadel, a 12th century fortress built on a bluff overlooking Cairo. Centuries of rulers used the citadel as living quarters, building multiple palaces, as well as a religious center with about five mosques, and a military base.
Now for the pictures.



Above is the mosque of Mohammed Ali, a 19th century ruler of Egypt. The mosque was his way of sticking it to his former bosses, the Ottomans. By defying them in building more than three minarets, and (in his mind) replicating the splendor of the Blue Mosque, he showed them that he was not going to be their docile follower. Needless to say, the Ottomans were not happy with this turn of events.
The next few pictures are of a secondary mosque.



The Egyptian military museum at the citadel was interesting to me because of its propagandist agenda. The prime examples being the glorification of Nasser, and the Egyptian government's spin on battles with Israel that didn't end in their victory. Don't misunderstand me, I'm sure there is an equally propagandist museum in Israel (or the United States), which I would be just as amused to see. That's the kind of cynic that I am. On the propaganda scale, the Egyptian military museum rates far below North Korean state television but slightly above a fourth of July parade.