The Fortress of Babylon or Fortress of Babylon was a fortress city or castle located in the Nile Delta, Egypt, in an area that was then called Babylon and which is now known as Cairo Coptic, a part of Old Cairo. It consisted of a set of bastions connected by a brick wall.
The area was part of the Heliópolis , on the right (eastern) bank of the Nile, in front of the island of Rhoda, close to the Pharaonic Canal (also called Heliópolis, Ptolemy or Trajan's Canal), which connected the Nile to the Red Sea , on the border between Lower and Middle Egypt. The location was of great strategic importance, as it allowed the control of all traffic on the Nile, at the point where it is easiest to cross. There, tolls were charged to vessels passing on the river.
Diodoro SÃculo attributed the construction of the first fort to Assyrian rebel captives during the reign of Sesóstris and Ctésias dates from the time of Semiramis. More reliably, Josephus (1st century AD), attributed the structure to followers of Cambyses II, in 525 BC. The Romans built a new fortress with the typical masonry in white and red bands, closer to the river
Currently, in the fortress enclosure is the Coptic Museum, a convent and several churches, namely the Church of São Jorge and the Hanging Church.
Name and history
Babylon was the original name of the main city of Mesopotamia, but according to another hypothesis the name may be linked to the ancient (House of the Nile in Heliópolis), the sanctuary of the Hapi deity, the personification of the waters of the Nile, in Heliópolis.
According to tradition, the first fort was built by the Persians c. 6th century BC, but at that time it was situated on the cliffs near the river. When the Romans took possession of Egypt, recognizing its strategic importance on the Nile, they used the fort for some time, but due to water supply problems, in the reign of Trajan (r. 98–117) the fortress was transferred to their current location, closer to the river. In Arcadius' reign (r. 395–408) fortifications were strengthened. Since then, the Nile bed has moved 400 meters north.
In the time of Augustus, Babylon of the Delta became a city of some importance and was the headquarters of the three legions that ensured Egypt's obedience. In Notitia Imperii, Babylon is mentioned as the headquarters of Legio XIII Gemina. The ruins of the old city and fortress are still visible north of Fostate, or Old Cairo. Among the ruins are the remains of the great aqueduct mentioned by Strabo and the first Arab geographers.
During the Arab invasion of Egypt in the 7th century, the fortress was surrounded for about seven months, before being taken on April 9, 641 by Arab general Amir ibne Alas. Following the taking of the fortress, Amir founded the city of Fostate, whose center was, according to tradition, the location of his tent. The fortress was integrated into the new city. During the first century of Fostate's existence, the fortress continued to be called Babylon and in the documents of the time both Fostate and Babylon (Babalyûn) were used. Then it came to be called Qasr al-Sham, a name that is still used today.
In 750 the Abbasids founded the locality of Alaska and in 868 the Tulúnidas founded Alcatai. The three neighboring cities were later unified to form Cairo (al-Qahira, "the Victor"), which was endowed with a wall and a citadel by the sovereign Ayubid Saladin in 1173. Currently Fostate corresponds to Old Cairo.
The fortress grounds of Babylon soon became a Christian and Jewish enclave. Most of the old Coptic churches are located in the ruins of the fortress, among which stand out the al Moallaqa (or al Mu'allaqa, "the suspended one"), built in the 5th century on the south porch, from where it comes suspended, and St. George, the latter of the Orthodox Greeks, built on top of one of the towers of the north gate.
The area was part of the Heliópolis , on the right (eastern) bank of the Nile, in front of the island of Rhoda, close to the Pharaonic Canal (also called Heliópolis, Ptolemy or Trajan's Canal), which connected the Nile to the Red Sea , on the border between Lower and Middle Egypt. The location was of great strategic importance, as it allowed the control of all traffic on the Nile, at the point where it is easiest to cross. There, tolls were charged to vessels passing on the river.
Diodoro SÃculo attributed the construction of the first fort to Assyrian rebel captives during the reign of Sesóstris and Ctésias dates from the time of Semiramis. More reliably, Josephus (1st century AD), attributed the structure to followers of Cambyses II, in 525 BC. The Romans built a new fortress with the typical masonry in white and red bands, closer to the river
Currently, in the fortress enclosure is the Coptic Museum, a convent and several churches, namely the Church of São Jorge and the Hanging Church.
Name and history
Babylon was the original name of the main city of Mesopotamia, but according to another hypothesis the name may be linked to the ancient (House of the Nile in Heliópolis), the sanctuary of the Hapi deity, the personification of the waters of the Nile, in Heliópolis.
According to tradition, the first fort was built by the Persians c. 6th century BC, but at that time it was situated on the cliffs near the river. When the Romans took possession of Egypt, recognizing its strategic importance on the Nile, they used the fort for some time, but due to water supply problems, in the reign of Trajan (r. 98–117) the fortress was transferred to their current location, closer to the river. In Arcadius' reign (r. 395–408) fortifications were strengthened. Since then, the Nile bed has moved 400 meters north.
In the time of Augustus, Babylon of the Delta became a city of some importance and was the headquarters of the three legions that ensured Egypt's obedience. In Notitia Imperii, Babylon is mentioned as the headquarters of Legio XIII Gemina. The ruins of the old city and fortress are still visible north of Fostate, or Old Cairo. Among the ruins are the remains of the great aqueduct mentioned by Strabo and the first Arab geographers.
During the Arab invasion of Egypt in the 7th century, the fortress was surrounded for about seven months, before being taken on April 9, 641 by Arab general Amir ibne Alas. Following the taking of the fortress, Amir founded the city of Fostate, whose center was, according to tradition, the location of his tent. The fortress was integrated into the new city. During the first century of Fostate's existence, the fortress continued to be called Babylon and in the documents of the time both Fostate and Babylon (Babalyûn) were used. Then it came to be called Qasr al-Sham, a name that is still used today.
In 750 the Abbasids founded the locality of Alaska and in 868 the Tulúnidas founded Alcatai. The three neighboring cities were later unified to form Cairo (al-Qahira, "the Victor"), which was endowed with a wall and a citadel by the sovereign Ayubid Saladin in 1173. Currently Fostate corresponds to Old Cairo.
The fortress grounds of Babylon soon became a Christian and Jewish enclave. Most of the old Coptic churches are located in the ruins of the fortress, among which stand out the al Moallaqa (or al Mu'allaqa, "the suspended one"), built in the 5th century on the south porch, from where it comes suspended, and St. George, the latter of the Orthodox Greeks, built on top of one of the towers of the north gate.
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