Meet the castle of Saladin on Pharaoh’s Island in Taba

Cairo – September 16: Located 10 kilometers away from the city of Al Aqaba, 250 meters away from the Egyptian borders and after a beautiful ride from Taba’s coast, you will find the castle of Saladin on Pharaoh’s Island in Taba City.

Pharaoh’s Island is one of Taba’s main attractions, and it is simply breathtaking. The small island, surrounded by the outstanding blue and turquoise waters of the Red Sea, was once a Phoenician port, later occupied by Crusaders and then taken under control by Sultan Salah El Din (Saladin). The island and the castle remain intact. The reef around the island is popular with snorkelers and divers alike, Egypt State Information service reported.

Pharaoh’s Island, also called Coral Island or Geziret Faroun, lies eight kilometers south of Taba and 250 meters off the coast.


the lake inside the castle of Saladin


Early in the 12th century, the Crusaders built a fortress there to protect pilgrims traveling between Jerusalem and the Monastery of St. Katherine, as well as to boost Arab trade.
Sultan Salah El Din evicted the Crusaders from the island and significantly strengthened the fortress later in the 12th century.



castle of Saladin in the Island of Pharaoh in Taba city


The citadel contained a lot of defense means, like a huge wall that surrounds all over and a number of monitoring towers. There is also an area to manufacture weapons, a conference hall for the rulers to plan how to defend Egypt against any attacks, housing for soldiers, an oven to bake bread, storage rooms, a water reservoir, and a mosque that was built by Amir Hossam El Dine Bagel. The citadel

was built with granite rocks that were taken from Pharaoh’s Island where the citadel was built, Alaadin reported.



castle of Saladin in the Island of Pharaoh in Taba city


Great restoration and development works were carried out inside the castle in 1986.
Descriptions inside the tall walls are flanked by still well-preserved towers, with a rampart and battlements. On two stories there is a succession of architectural units belonging to different periods of the 12th century, including a fortified entrance, a residence of the citadel's governor, a hammam (restroom) with three rooms and a water supply system, and a workshop to produce arrow tips. UNESCO reported.

Saladin (Salah El Din al-Ayyubi), the founder of the Ayyubid dynasty (1174-1260), is considered one of the greatest sovereigns in the history of Islam.