- Type
- Fortress
- Origins
- 1470 · 15th century per Wikidata: founding, first mention or construction
- Location
- Beheira, Egypt
- Commissioned by
- Qaitbay
- Coordinates
- 31.4397°, 30.3894°
History
The fort on the left bank of the Rosetta branch of the Nile, a few kilometres from Rashid, was built in the late 15th century by the Mamluk sultan Qaitbay to defend the river mouth against attack from the sea. After Napoleon landed in Egypt in 1798, the French occupied and rebuilt the fort, naming it after Thomas Prosper Jullien, an aide-de-camp of Bonaparte killed nearby. In July 1799 soldiers under Pierre-François Bouchard, demolishing an old wall, came across a stone stela bearing three inscriptions. In 1801 British and Ottoman forces captured the fort, and under the French capitulation the stone was taken to London.
What to see
The fort is a small quadrangle of walls and round towers on the bank of the Nile, set in the flat delta landscape among fields and palm groves. The surviving walls combine a Mamluk core with French alterations. A visit pairs well with Rashid itself, known for its well-preserved Ottoman-era houses decorated with brick patterns and wooden mashrabiya screens.
Wikipedia article Wikidata Q3077898
Popularity: articles about this site in 17 Wikimedia projects (Wikipedia language editions and others).