The castle is a fortified old fortress that is the city itself. When Saladin built the city, his first intention was to enclose Misr within the fortress walls. The complex charges 50 LZ for admission, which works out to about nine US dollars at the exchange rate. Arx is one of the first attractions around Cairo to open in the morning, with hours from 8 AM to 6 PM in Summer and until 5 PM in Winter.
My wife and I arrived in the morning by taxi and were surprised at the large number of tourist buses already offloading visitors. Tourists are allowed to enter through a different gate and bypass security. We descended to the bottom of a steep hill several hundred feet from the entrance gate. A security checkpoint was set up at the bottom of the hill through which we had to pass. It was granted at the Castle, so our cameras were not placed in storage.
After we walked up the hill to the Babal Gabal entrance, we bought our tickets for 50 LE each. From there we went through a secondary security screening before entering the walls of the castle. The security checks only carry out bike searches and not back up… so the passenger checkpoints were quick and painless. .
After entering the inner walls of the Citadel we passed a souvenir shop and gift shop as well as a Police Station Tours before going up the steps to the Muhammad Ali. When we entered the courtyard between the mosque and the Muhammad Ali Palace, we were approached by vendors selling anything from decorated pears to stuffed camel toys. The incredible shopping outside the mosque also included a permanent gift shop. We were trying to get in one after the other, but we quickly realized we were at the exit and the shopping was only allowed to flow one way.
This is where we learned valuable information about the way things work in Egypt. A man inside the mosque security-guard told us to go through the exit and instructed us to remove our shoes. It was obvious that this was going to cost a lot, so we could dig up a couple of LEs and figure out our business. Not so lucky… we recently opened the dreaded “Guide.” This is kind of different from legitimate tour guides… they know nothing but the language to speak and the manners to separate you from your money.
Our “Guide” showed us to the tomb of Muhammad Ali and wanted to take our picture in front of the tomb. I didn’t really want to take a picture of myself in front of the grave, but I did take a picture of him. Then we were led to the court and shown the old well used to clean the mosque. I tried to part ways with our leader at that point, but he was stubborn. He cheated me of more money than I gave him to go away. The beautiful high ceilings in the mosques were something to behold. They reminded me of something round the US Capitol. Humongous ropes hung fifty feet from the rafters’ chains from the top of the ceiling, which was equally high. The mosque was started in 1830 and completed in 1857.
As we were leaving the mosque, we joined our “leader”, who indicated that he had something important to demonstrate. No, but always ugly. He took our picture with the fog of the city behind us (it was an overcast day so he couldn’t really capture anything behind us on film). He then indicated that we were visitors to the area not because it was unstable, but because he “knew the people” and it would be fine. It meant that the damage was still left over from a fire that happened several years ago. I didn’t know where this was going.
Our guide then led us to the Gawharah Palace Museum, where prominent signs indicated that photography was not permitted. The guide took us to the middle of a flight of stairs where pictures of Ali Muhammad’s family hung on the wall. I didn’t have the real thing in the photo but was advised to take a picture by my guide. My real Guide during my trip to Giza and Saqqarah had advised me that the local “guides” would stimulate the guests by using images in restricted areas and then blackmail them for money. I told my teacher that I didn’t want to break the rules whether people knew or not, and that he didn’t understand that I was going to do it. We were then led into a room where several portraits of the Pasha family adorned the walls. Another local guide explained the history to us and then went through a rough show with the “guide” who introduced us. I was very excited about the manipulation and was embarrassed to “show off” wearing two. I had lost my experience in the castle even though I knew what was going on the whole time. The local leaders are the royal pain in the ash and the tourism police to really do something to check the rude behavior back and forth. Sometimes I think the police are complicit.
After the parade at the Gawharah Palace, I needed a cooling kick. I was aggravated and my wife was crying about the stress caused by this “leader”. After collecting ourselves, we proceeded to the Policum Museum located beyond the Mosque of Muhammad Ali. The museum is tucked away in a quiet corner of the complex and provided some much needed solitude. The exhibits were surprisingly complex and elaborate, although the museum as a whole was a little smaller. It shows evidence of police investigations in Egypt from Pharaonic times to the present. It is very interesting to see how the old investigators shake the truth about the assassins plotting. Modern exhibitions including serial killers and simulations. The museum could use some updating, but it was nice.
Our next destination was the Military Museum. One notable military day in Egypt is the 6th of October (when Sinai was retaken). This day is reflected throughout Cairo as well as having a prominent place in this museum. The museum also covers the freedom struggle. Like the Policum Museum, the Military Museum takes visitors through time from the Pharaonic exhibits to the present. The Military Museum requires one LE visitors to bring cameras inside and allows photography as long as you pay a fee. One LE is equal to eighteen cents and is worth enough to keep the camera with you. I’m ending up with a few pictures. King Tutankhamen’s chariot was on display, and a few other exhibits appealed to me as well. The museum is deceptively large and has many excellent displays that cover a wide range of history. It was on par with the Coptic Museum and at a price of 50 LE admission for the castle.
One other attraction inside the Citadel is the Mosque of an-Nasir Muhammed. This mosque was built in 1318. It was decorated with marble before it stripped the Ottoman naked. I did not enter this mosque. It was Friday and I believe they were preparing a speech when we passed through the entrance. Other attractions that I didn’t visit were the Mosque of Sulayman Pasha built in 1528, some towers, the coach museum and the garden museum. I spent about three hours wandering the fields of Arse and I still didn’t explore any corner. Three hours is enough to see and do most of the attractions within the walls, but if you want to take your time and see everything, allow at least half a day.
Apart from my unfortunate experiences with the local guide I found the attractions well placed. There is plenty to see and the price of admission is reasonable. Officials and Military Museums are probably worth the price of admission by themselves. The west facing wall offers a panoramic view of the city and will probably make for some excellent photos on a clear day. The weather did not allow much visibility during my visit, but I did take a nice picture from above the Mosque of Ahmad al-Kathunda which was built in 1697 and lies under the western wall. It was an interesting visit despite the difficulties and one that I would highly recommend being careful to avoid the locals and their dirty tricks.
