We will present to you in our article today the most important information about the historical fortress of Babylon, the Arab Republic of Egypt abounds with many tourist and historical places, which made it one of the most important tourist destinations around the world, and one of its most famous features is the fortress of Babylon, located in ancient Egypt and specifically in the Fustat area next to the metro station Gerges, and this fort is one of the most important monuments of the Romen Empire in Egypt, and the fort had an important role in the Christian eras and Islamic conquests in Egypt, and through the following lines on Arab travelers we will present the history of the construction of the Babylon fortress, the reason for its construction and its historical importance.
Babylon Fortress
Who built the Babylon Fortress?
Before the construction of the fortress, many historical events passed through Egypt, including its occuAl Bahahn by Nebuchadnezzar the Babylonian king, followed by the occuAl Bahahn of the Romen Empire during the first century BC, and in the Romen era in which the Romen Emperor Trajan ordered the construction of the fortress in the second century AD, and the reason for its construction is due to The desire to enhance the influence of the Romen Empire and increase its spread, especially in the area below the Nile, because of the importance of this military and strategic region.
There are other sayings about building the fortress, which indicate that the Babylonians built it in order to defend themselves after their presence in Egypt by force by the pharaoh Senusert who defeated them and brought them to Egypt to enslave them.
Information about Babylon Fortress
- There are several sayings about why the fort was named by this name, among which it was named after the Nile god Habi, who used to inhabit the Nile House, Heliopolis, and others say that it was related to a neighboring country in the place where the fort was built.
- This fort was also called the wax palace, because one of its constellations was burning candles above it when the sun fell on it.
- The fort was built on an area of 500 square meters, and red brick and pharaonic temples were used in its construction.
- When built, the fort included the Coptic Museum, monastery, and 6 churches.
- The fort was built in a place that facilitates linking the sea side with the tribal side of Egypt, which helped to reinforce the influence of the Romens and protect them against enemies and repel them from any attack, in addition to being able to eliminate the revolutions that were breaking out against them, whether from the north or the south.
- In the fourth century AD, the Romen Emperor Arcadius restored and expanded the fortress.
- In the year 614 AH, the leader Amr ibn al-Aas sought to conquer Egypt, and the Romens besieged the fort for 7 months, and the Romens tried to escape from the fort by digging trenches around it and building exits from it, and when Zubayr ibn al-Awwam – who sent Omar ibn al-Khattab to assist Amr ibn al-As in Al-Fateh – What the Romens did besieged the fort from the top of the wall, accompanied by Malik bin Abi Silsila and Muhammad bin Muslimah Al-Ansari, and they kept growing up over the wall until the Romens escaped from the fort because they thought that the Muslims had taken it, and the fort was already in the possession of Muslims.
- Then, the city of Fustat, which is bordered by the Nile River in the west, and Mount Muqattam in the east, and the army in the south, so that Fustat becomes the city of Al-Hosn.
- Surrounding the fortress in the west and east, and from the tribal side, there are many churches, monasteries, and temples, such as the Church of the Six Barbara, the Monastery of St. George for the nuns, the Palace of the Basil, the Church of the Virgin and the Temple of the Jews.
- Several monumental buildings were built inside the fort, but at the moment there are only two large towers left of it. The St. Gerges Church was built on top of one of them, and the church hangs over the other tower.
