Salah El-Din Castle, Medieval fortress on Pharaoh's Island, Gulf of Aqaba, Egypt
Salah El-Din Castle is a medieval fortress located on an island in the Gulf of Aqaba, built in two distinct sections on raised ground. The structure includes defensive towers, barracks for soldiers, bathing facilities, and large kitchens with substantial ovens for food preparation.
Baldwin I of Jerusalem built this fortress in 1116 at a strategic point where trade routes between Egypt and the Arabian Peninsula intersected. Later the Mamluk and Ottoman dynasties modified and enlarged the structure to suit their military needs.
The fortress contains pigeon towers that were used to send messages between military outposts across distances. These structures show how soldiers communicated in medieval times without modern technology.
The site sits on an island and can only be reached by boat. It is best to visit early in the morning to avoid the intense heat and to get the clearest views of the surrounding water and landscape.
The fortress was not built all at once but grew through additions made by different civilizations over centuries. You can see how the Crusaders, Mamluks, and Ottomans each left their own mark on the walls and buildings in ways that reveal their distinct construction styles.
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