Country

Castles in Egypt

37 landmarks in the Castle Map atlas — every one mapped with a photo and its story, 28 with sourced founding dates, ranked by Wikipedia coverage and real readership.

The most famous castle in Egypt is Cairo Citadel, ranked #157 of 9,079 in the world — followed by Citadel of Qaitbay and Abdeen Palace.

The Castle Map atlas charts 2 castles, 9 fortresses, 15 palaces & châteaux and 11 ruins in Egypt. They span more than 38 centuries — from Aniba (founded c. 1900 BC) to Prince Amr Ibrahim Palace (1924). Every one is plotted with its photo and story on the interactive castle map of Egypt.

How many castles are there in Egypt?

Map of castles in Egypt

On the map they cluster thickest around Cairo — 16 within a 100 km day trip. The northernmost is Urabi Fortress, the southernmost Aniba — about 975 km apart.

Planning a visit? Day-trip guides: Castles near Cairo.

See them on the map →

When they were built

Of the 37 landmarks mapped in Egypt, 28 carry a sourced founding date. Most were founded in the 19th century — 9 of them. 13 predate 1500 and 12 were built after 1700.

All 37 castles in Egypt

Cairo Citadel
Fortress · 12th century · #157 worldwide · #1 in Egypt
The Citadel of Cairo or Citadel of Saladin is a medieval Islamic-era fortification in Cairo, Egypt.
Citadel of Qaitbay
Fortress · 15th century · #390 worldwide · #2 in Egypt
The Citadel of Qaitbay is a 15th-century defensive fortress located on the Mediterranean sea coast, on Pharos Island in Alexandria, Egypt.
Abdeen Palace
Palace & château · 19th century · #3 in Egypt
Abdeen District is the home of Abdeen Palace, a 19th-century Cairo palace built by Khedive Ismail and served as the Egyptian royal household's…
Babylon Fortress
Ruin · 3rd century · #4 in Egypt
Babylon Fortress is an ancient Roman fortress on the eastern bank of the Nile Delta, located in the area known today as Old Cairo or Coptic Cairo.
Montaza Palace
Palace & château · 19th century · #5 in Egypt
Montaza Palace is a palace, museum and extensive gardens in the Montaza district of Alexandria, Egypt.
Baron Empain Palace
Palace & château · 20th century · #6 in Egypt
The Baron Empain Palace, also known as Le Palais Hindou, is a distinctive and historic mansion in Heliopolis, a suburb northeast of central Cairo,…
Pharaoh's Island
Ruin · 12th century · #7 in Egypt
Pharaoh's Island, whose current popular name is Coral Island, is a small island in the northern Gulf of Aqaba some 250 metres east off the shore of…
Ras el-Tin Palace
Palace & château · 19th century · #8 in Egypt
Ras El Tin Palace is a palace on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea in Alexandria, Egypt.
Bab Zuweila
Fortress · 11th century · #9 in Egypt
Bab Zuwayla or Bab Zuweila is one of three remaining gates in the city walls of historic Cairo in Egypt.
Fort Julien
Fortress · 15th century · #10 in Egypt
Fort Julien is a fort located on the left or west bank of the Nile about 5 kilometres north-west of Rashid on the north coast of Egypt.
Heliopolis Palace
Palace & château · 20th century · #11 in Egypt
The Heliopolis Palace is one of the five Egyptian presidential palaces and residences, the others being Abdeen Palace, Koubbeh Palace, Montaza Palace…
Manial Palace and Museum
Palace & château · 19th century · #12 in Egypt
The Manial Palace and Museum is a former Alawiyya dynasty era palace and grounds on Rhoda Island on the Nile.
Bab al-Futuh
Fortress · 11th century · #13 in Egypt
Bab al-Futuh is one of three remaining gates in the city wall of the old city of Cairo, Egypt. It is located at the northern end of al-Mu'izz Street.
Bab al-Nasr
Fortress · 11th century · #14 in Egypt
Bab al-Nasr, is one of three remaining gates in the historic city wall of Cairo, the capital of Egypt.
Sakakini Palace
Palace & château · 19th century · #15 in Egypt
Habib Pasha El Sakakini Palace is a palace in the al-Zahir district of Cairo, Egypt.
Aniba
Ruin · 19th century BC · #16 in Egypt
Aniba was a village in Nubia, about 230 km south of Aswan. The place is today flooded by Lake Nasser.
Royal Jewelry Museum
Palace & château · #17 in Egypt
The Royal Jewelry Museum is an art and history museum in Alexandria, Egypt. It is located in the former palace of Princess Fatma Al-Zahra' in Zizenia…
Palais d’Antoniadis
Palace & château · 19th century · #18 in Egypt
The Palais d'Antoniadis is a palace in Alexandria, Egypt, named after Sir John Antoniadis, who was an Alexandrian Greek.
Gezirah Palace
Palace & château · 19th century · #19 in Egypt
The Gezirah Palace was one of the Egyptian royal palaces of the Muhammad Ali Dynasty.
Al-Gawhara Palace
Palace & château · 19th century · #20 in Egypt
Al-Gawhara Palace, also known as Bijou Palace, is a palace and museum in Cairo, Egypt.
Zawiyet Umm el-Rakham
Ruin · #21 in Egypt
Zawyet Umm El Rakham is an archaeological site located on the North coast of Egypt 20 km to the west of Marsa Matruh, and about 300 km to the west of…
Zaafarana palace
Palace & château · #22 in Egypt
The Saffron Palace is located in the Egyptian capital of Cairo, near Abbassia at Khalifa Maʽmon Road.
Salah El-Din Castle
Castle · 12th century · #23 in Egypt
The Salah El-Din Castle is located on Pharaoh's Island in northwestern tip of the Gulf of Aqaba, Egypt. The castle is composed from two parts.
An-Nekhel Fortress
Fortress · 16th century · #24 in Egypt
The Fortress of an-Nekhel is a Ksar located in the Nekhel Municipality of the Sinai Peninsula in Egypt.
Qalat el-Gindi
Ruin · 12th century · #25 in Egypt
The El-Gendi Fortress is located in the southern portion of the Sinai Peninsula, Egypt.
Prince Amr Ibrahim Palace
Palace & château · 20th century · #26 in Egypt
The Prince Amr Ibrahim Palace is a historical building in Cairo's Zamalek island, which is used as the Egypt's first ceramics museum, the Museum of…
Manasterly Palace
Palace & château · 19th century · #27 in Egypt
The Manasterly Palace is an Ottoman Baroque palace and grounds in the south western corner on the southern end of Rawda Island on the Nile in Cairo,…
Qasr Dush
Ruin · #28 in Egypt
Qasr Dush was a settlement founded by the Ptolemies on the eastern edge of the Libyan Desert and in Roman times possessed a military camp responsible…
Ain Umm el-Dabadib
Ruin · #29 in Egypt
The fort of Ain Umm el-Dabadib, or Umm el-Dabadib, is a Roman fort in the New Valley, more than 65 km north of Kharga.
Palace of Yashbak
Palace & château · 14th century · #30 in Egypt
Palace of Yashbak, also known as the Palace of Amir Qawsun, is a semi-ruined palace in Medieval Cairo, Egypt, originally built between 1330 and 1337…
Qasr al-Gibb
Ruin · #31 in Egypt
Qasr al-Gibb, or Ain al-Gibb, is an ancient Roman fort located at the far north of the depression of the Kharga oasis centre in the Western Desert.
Shali
Ruin · 12th century · #32 in Egypt
Shali is the old town and fortress in the heart of the Siwa Oasis in the Libyan Desert of Egypt, and is one of its most famous historical landmarks.
El Qoseir Fort
Fortress · 16th century · #33 in Egypt
The El Qoseir Fort is an Ottoman fort located in El Qoseir, Egypt. The fort was built on the recommendation of Sinan Pasha in the late 16th century,…
Arish castle
Castle · 16th century · #34 in Egypt
Arish castle is a historic castle founded by Sultan Suleiman Khan I, known as Suleiman the Magnificent, in the year 968 AH, corresponding to 1560 AD;…
Urabi Fortress
Fortress · #35 in Egypt
Urabi Fortress, or the citadel of Damietta, also known as the citadel of Kobri al-Saffara, is an abandoned military redoubt located on the eastern…
Qasr el-Labakha
Ruin · #36 in Egypt
Qasr el-Labakha, or Ain el-Labakha, is an ancient Roman fortress and settlement located north of the Kharga depression, about 50 km from the city of…
Deir el-Munira
Ruin · #37 in Egypt
Deir el-Munira, also called Hisn al-Deir or Deir al-Ghanayim, is an archaeological site about 23 km north of the city of Kharga and 3 km east of the…

Frequently asked questions

How many castles are in Egypt?

The Castle Map atlas maps 37 landmarks (2 castles · 9 fortresses · 15 palaces & châteaux · 11 ruins) in Egypt — a curated selection of well-documented landmarks from Wikidata, not a count of every fortification ever built.

What is the most famous castle in Egypt?

Cairo Citadel, ranked #157 of 9,079 worldwide in the atlas's fame ranking, founded in the 12th century.

What is the oldest castle in Egypt?

The oldest dated landmark in the atlas in Egypt is Aniba, founded c. 1900 BC. Earlier structures may have existed — this is the oldest with a documented founding year.

Where are most of the castles in Egypt?

They cluster thickest around Cairo — 16 of the atlas's landmarks within 100 km.

Which castles in Egypt are UNESCO World Heritage Sites?

Per Wikidata, 1 of the mapped landmarks holds a UNESCO World Heritage designation — inscribed in its own right or as part of an inscribed ensemble: Bab Zuweila.