Apparently There Is More Than One Muhammed Ali In History

While not as famous as The Greatest, the Egyptian Muhammed Ali is famed as the father of modern Egypt.  On a hilltop with dominating views of Cairo, there is the Citadel of Saladin and the Muhammed Ali Mosque.

Info from Wikipedia tells the background faster than I could:

The Citadel is a medieval Islamic-era fortification in Cairo, Egypt, built by Salah ad-Din (Saladin) and further developed by subsequent Egyptian rulers. It was the seat of government in Egypt and the residence of its rulers for nearly 700 years from the 13th to the 19th centuries. Its location on a promontory of the Mokattam hills near the center of Cairo commands a strategic position overlooking the city and dominating its skyline. When it was constructed it was among the most impressive and ambitious military fortification projects of its time.  It is now a preserved historic site, including mosques and museums.

Initial construction of the Citadel started in 1176, just 600 years before the Declaration of Independence was written and signed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.  In the early 19th Century, Ali replaced many of the buildings (in the Citadel, not in Philadelphia), and had what is also known as the Alabaster Mosque built between 1830 and 1848.  

We primarily visited the mosque, but the grounds of the Citadel offer inspiring views of Cairo.  

The mosque was built in the same style as the Hagia Sophia in Istanbul, and was built to memorialize Ali's eldest son, who died in 1816.

After the mosque, we went to an older, smaller mosque.  I don't remember the name, and I'm having trouble finding info on it.  (If Sam reads this and corrects me, I will fix this post).  It might be the Sulayman Pasha mosque.  If so, it dates back to 1538.  If not, I have no idea.  (I try to be as accurate as possible, dear readers, but in this case I have no idea).

Ceiling selfies are always cool.

The ornate dome of the mosque.  And us.

Might be the worst selfie I took, as

I managed to cut off the domes and

the towers AND the minaret. 

To be fair to me, the sun was blinding.

A tower at the Citadel

The Muhammad Ali Mosque.

 The minaret is 269 feet high.

Cool stylized lion.

Monument to Muhammed Ali.

Don't know if he could

float like a butterfly, or

even sting like a bee.

The courtyard of the mosque.

An unobstructed view of the main dome.

The chandelier.

The Giza pyramids are 

visible from the Citadel.

Note the alabaster domes.

This guy is one of four with a fountain

that wasn't running.  I'm not lion.

The famed non-working clocktower

that the French traded to the 

Egyptians for an obelisk.

I couldn't find out if additional

draft picks or cash

considerations were part of the

deal, but it appears the French 

ripped them off.

Incense pots in the older mosque.

Back to the Muhammed Ali mosque.

Remember, it's in Cairo, not Louisville.

It's always good to a picture of the

country's flag open in the wind.