Cairo Citadel Aqueduct to become an important tourist attraction

CAIRO – 8 July 2021: Since Abdel Fattah el-Sisi became President of Egypt, the Egyptian state has been unprecedently paying attention to national archaeological projects, in line with the state's strategy to restore the historical and cultural splendor of archaeological sites in Egypt.

Among those projects is the development of the Cairo Citadel Aqueduct or Mamluk Aqueduct, which is a medieval aqueduct system in Cairo, Egypt.

The Egyptian state is continuing the restoration work of the Aqueduct and the area surrounding it to be completed according to the established timetable, which is scheduled for 2021. This is within the framework of the ministry’s project to restore the historical wall and the surrounding area, which has turned into an important tourist attraction and will soon become one of the most important tourist and recreational places in Cairo.

The project to develop the Cairo Citadel Aqueduct aims to revive this historical area and re-highlight its cultural splendor with its important cultural value, to represent a new addition to the map of archaeological and tourist destinations in Egypt.

The project is part of a comprehensive vision of restoring Cairo as a city of heritage and arts, a center of civilization and culture and a major tourist destination at both the regional and international levels.

The Citadel Aqueduct is located in the Citadel and Old Cairo. It is one of the most famous historical walls in Cairo.

The wall spans back to the era of the Ayyubid state. The arches were built by Sultan Al-Nasir Salah Al-Din Yusef Ibn Ayyub (Salah Al-Din Al-Ayyubi), founder of the Ayyubid state in Egypt, who ruled from the year 565 AH / 1169 AD to the year 589 AH / 1193 AD.

Then Sultan Al-Nasir Muhammad bin Qalawun renewed it completely in the year 712 AH - 1312 AD.

The idea of ​​constructing a wall for Cairo came to start near Fustat and to make a stream or channel above it for water that the drivers lift from one of the wells to go through this channel until it reaches the castle, where it is used for watering and irrigation of crops around the castle area.

The Citadel Aqueduct or Qanater Al-Ghoury, contains aqueducts to carry water, extends 2800 meters in length from the mouth of the Gulf area to the Bab Al-Qarafa area in Sayedda Aisha.

The Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities has prepared a plan to develop the wall, which includes the transfer of the occupants of the areas surrounding the wall from workshops, factories and units located in the Citadel Aqueduct area, taking all necessary measures to approve the development plan and end all approvals and permits for that, in addition to preparing the main facilities necessary for the project on the borders of the aforementioned development area and providing the necessary sums of money to compensate the occupants of the workshops, factories and units located in the area.

The idea of ​​development is based on creating a linkage axis from north to south linking the geographical space of Historic Cairo with its historical metropolises by supporting the merging of several commercial, crafts, tourism and cultural activities along this axis, to confirm the historical continuity of Historic Cairo, and allow for the first time to enjoy more than 313 monuments recorded in the area of ​​Historic Cairo.

This is in addition to working to strengthen the link between the site and the surrounding historical areas through clean, diverse and integrated public transport systems that allow for more sustainable transportation, such as panoramic electric buses, pedestrian and bicycle traffic, and reduce the need to use private cars in transportation.

The general plan for the design idea of ​​the development project also includes the establishment of a culture and art area, which will provide spaces for use as an open theater, theaters and cinemas, in addition to a museum and exhibitions for plastic arts, a public library, a hall for seminars and conferences, in addition to places designated for folkloric performances, and a center for the kinetic arts, as well as establishing an area for entertainment and tourism services that includes a number of restaurants, open spaces and yards, with a focus on attracting the quality of restaurants that offer traditional Egyptian cuisine, to other Arab and international kitchens.