Ruin
Ajyad Fortress
🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia · 18th century
The Ajyad Fortress (Ottoman Turkish: قلعهٔ اجیاد, Turkish: Ecyad Kalesi; Arabic: قلعة أجياد) was an Ottoman citadel which stood on a hill overlooking the Grand Mosque of Mecca, in what is now Saudi Arabia. Built in the late 18th century, it was demolished by the Saudi government in 2002 for commercial development of the Abraj Al Bait, sparking protests from Turkey and other concerned Muslims of the world.
Text adapted from “Ajyad Fortress” on Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Ajyad Fortress ranks #703 of 8,131 worldwide in the atlas's castle fame ranking, and #1 of the 21 mapped in Saudi Arabia. Founded 1777, it is older than 15% of the atlas's dated landmarks — one of 556 atlas entries founded in the 18th century. Its Wikipedia articles were opened 8,782 times in the last 60 days, more than 92% of the atlas. See how Saudi Arabia compares in the castle statistics.
View on the interactive castle map →Frequently asked questions
Where is Ajyad Fortress?
Ajyad Fortress stands in Saudi Arabia, at 21.41889°, 39.82639°.
When was Ajyad Fortress built?
The atlas dates its founding to 1777. Earlier structures may have stood on the site; this is the earliest documented founding year.
How famous is Ajyad Fortress?
In this atlas's fame ranking: #703 of 8,131 worldwide, and #1 in Saudi Arabia. Fame here combines how many Wikipedia language editions cover a landmark with how many people read them.
What is the nearest castle to Ajyad Fortress?
The Qishla of Jeddah, about 66 km away.
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