THE OFFICIAL inauguration of the Salaheddin fortress on Pharaoh's Island this week by Prime Minister Hisham Kandil has added another tourist attraction to the coastal town of Taba, Nevine El-Aref reports. Pharaoh's Island lies 250 metres off the Sinai coast not far from the tip of the Gulf of Aqaba. The fortress, built by Salaheddin in 1171 AD, played out an important chapter in the history of the Crusades, staving off an invasion of Egypt as well as controlling the route between the three banks of the Gulf of Aqaba: Palestine (and Syria) on the north; the Arabian peninsula the east; from Sinai and Egypt on the west. The importance of Pharaoh's Island emerged as early as the Byzantine period, and the remains of a Byzantine church dating from the reign of Justinian VI have been found there. The island grew more and more prominent during the Muslim era because of its position on the pilgrimage route to Mecca, and it was also a major strategic outpost when the Christian Kingdoms were set up in Palestine and Syria in 1099 AD. During the 12th century, the Crusaders built a fortress there that they called Ayla, a reference to a town on another island on the opposite shore of the Gulf. The Crusaders were then in control of the pilgrimage route, and levied a charge on passing pilgrims until Salaheddin seized the island and Aqaba in 1171. Salaheddin redeveloped the existing fortress and left his own impressive castle as a permanent reminder of his strength. For its strategic location on the route serving pilgrims, trade and military purposes and linking the gulfs of Suez and Aqaba, the fortress continued to prosper throughout the span of Islamic history. Archaeologist Abdel-Rehim Rihan told Al-Ahram Weekly that the fortress was built on a steep, 285-metre-high escarpment that was difficult to climb. This is the peak of Pharaoh's Island, and is 650 metres above sea level. The fortress was built of limestone cut from a nearby hill on the mainland and mortar found near the run-off rain water. Rihan explained that a ditch six metres deep separated it from the ravine whose shape it took, that of an irregular rectangle extending from north-east to south-west over a length of between 100 and 150 metres, with a maximum width of 120 metres. The whole building is surrounded by a wall two metres thick and reinforced at regular intervals with square and round towers. The fortress has a square entrance gate crowned with a limestone arch stone, of which the bedrock bears an inscription in the name of Allah. The name of the founder was also inscribed in Nashki (cursive Arabic) script saying "Salaheddin Abul-Muzafar Youssef Ibn Ayoub Ibn Khalil, emir of the believers" (Saladin); the name of the builder: Ibrahim Ibn Abi Bahr and his son; and the date of building: Jumada II 538/1187 Hijra. The door opens onto a wide courtyard lined with several rooms to accommodate the military guard. On the western side is a meeting room with a vaulted ceiling borne by pointed arches. There are two prayer rooms, but one is in ruins while the other is very well preserved with a beautiful mihrab (Pulpit) niche enhanced with epigraphy. There are three very well preserved underground cisterns, of which one dates to the Salaheddin era. These were used to supply the fortress with drinking water from the Ayn Sadre source located five kilometres away. The citadel had 22 military towers and a pigeon tower with pigeon nests and seed silos. It also had a furnace for producing weapons and soldiers' barracks, a bakery, mill and bath house. Regrettably, time took its toll on the great citadel and it was subjected to negligence and erosion. Restoration work carried out in 1986 was merely cosmetic and did not do justice to such a distinguished garrison. Three years ago the fortress was again restored with a budget of LE20 million. Mohamed Al-Sheikha, head of the projects section at the Antiquities Ministry told the Weekly that in order to decrease the amount of sea water flooding the citadel, particularly in winter, a number of cement wave breakers had been erected in the sea around the citadel. Dilapidated structures were restored and external walls were strengthened. Signboards with full historical details were also erected to facilitate visits, as were wooden sun shades, and a new lighting system was installed to make the citadel accessible at night. On Saturday, the prime minister along with Minister of Tourism Hisham Zazou and Minister of State for Antiquities Mohamed Ibrahim officially inaugurated the site in order not only to draw more tourists to Taba but also to promote Egyptian tourism in general. According to a press release from the Antiquities Ministry, Ibrahim said that during the inauguration ceremony Kandil said that the cabinet was continuing to support the Ministry of State for Antiquities to continue its duties to preserve and protect Egypt's heritage. He himself was happy to see such a great monument back on the tourist map. Ibrahim said that a small, temporary marina has been established at the foot of the escarpment leading to the fortress in order to facilitate the transportation of tourists to and from the island. He continued that so as to increase the attractions available to visitors it was planned to put on cultural activities and dancing performances on the island with the citadel as the backdrop.
