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Castles in Egypt

32 landmarks in the Castlemap atlas — every one mapped with a photo and its story, 20 with sourced founding dates, ranked by Wikipedia coverage and real readership.

The most famous castle in Egypt is Cairo Citadel, ranked #153 of 7,738 in the world — followed by Citadel of Qaitbay and Abdeen Palace.

The Castlemap atlas charts 6 castles, 8 fortresses, 14 palaces & châteaux and 4 ruins in Egypt. They span more than 49 centuries — from Aniba (founded c. 3000 BC) to Royal Jewelry Museum (1986). Every one is plotted with its photo and story on the interactive castle map of Egypt.

Map of castles in Egypt

On the map they cluster thickest around Cairo — 11 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 32 landmarks mapped in Egypt, 20 carry a sourced founding date. Most were founded in the 19th century — 7 of them. 8 predate 1500 and 11 were built after 1700.

All 32 castles in Egypt

Cairo Citadel
Fortress · 12th century · #153 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
Fortress · 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.
Fort Julien
Fortress · 15th century · #9 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 · #10 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 · #11 in Egypt
The Manial Palace and Museum is a former Alawiyya dynasty era palace and grounds on Rhoda Island on the Nile.
Sakakini Palace
Palace & château · 19th century · #12 in Egypt
Habib Pasha El Sakakini Palace is a palace in the al-Zahir district of Cairo, Egypt.
Aniba
Fortress · 30th century BC · #13 in Egypt
Aniba was a village in Nubia, about 230 km south of Aswan. The place is today flooded by Lake Nasser.
Palais d’Antoniadis
Palace & château · 19th century · #14 in Egypt
The Palais d'Antoniadis is a palace in Alexandria, Egypt, named after Sir John Antoniadis, who was an Alexandrian Greek.
Royal Jewelry Museum
Palace & château · 20th century · #15 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…
Al-Gawhara Palace
Palace & château · 19th century · #16 in Egypt
Al-Gawhara Palace, also known as Bijou Palace, is a palace and museum in Cairo, Egypt.
Gezirah Palace
Palace & château · #17 in Egypt
The Gezirah Palace was one of the Egyptian royal palaces of the Muhammad Ali Dynasty.
Zawiyet Umm el-Rakham
Ruin · #18 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 · #19 in Egypt
The Saffron Palace is located in the Egyptian capital of Cairo, near Abbassia at Khalifa Maʽmon Road.
An-Nekhel Fortress
Fortress · 16th century · #20 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 · #21 in Egypt
The El-Gendi Fortress is located in the southern portion of the Sinai Peninsula, Egypt.
Salah El-Din Castle
Castle · 12th century · #22 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.
Prince Amr Ibrahim Palace
Palace & château · 20th century · #23 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…
Qasr Dush
Castle · #24 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…
Qasr al-Gibb
Castle · #25 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.
Ain Umm el-Dabadib
Castle · #26 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.
El Qoseir Fort
Fortress · #27 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,…
Shali
Palace & château · #28 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.
Urabi Fortress
Fortress · #29 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…
Arish castle
Castle · #30 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;…
Qasr el-Labakha
Castle · #31 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 · #32 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 Castlemap atlas maps 32 landmarks (6 castles · 8 fortresses · 14 palaces & châteaux · 4 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 #153 of 7,738 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. 3000 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 — 11 of the atlas's landmarks within 100 km.

How many castles are there in Egypt?