Castle of Saladin, Pharaoh's Island

The Salah El-Din Castle is located on Pharaoh's Island in northwestern tip of the Gulf of Aqaba, Egypt.

It has been claimed that this was built by Baldwin I, who was the King of Jerusalem, in 1116 AD because the island was situated on a place of strategical importance: in the crossroads of trade and pilgrim routes from Egypt (Sinai) and Syro-Palestine to the Arab Peninsula with holy Mecca.

[3] Location of the castle was easily defendable on high ground, in the narrowest part on the Gulf of Aqaba.

[6] The castles played a major rule in the Crusades, Mamluk and Ottoman eras.

[4] The fortress has many small rooms, which include sleeping quarters for troops, bathhouses, and kitchens with huge ovens.