Some cities have humble beginnings, Constantinople was only a minor city in the Bosphorus before
it caught the attention of Constantine the Great.
Others have more flashy starts, Alexandria owes its existence to none other than Alexander
the Great himself and his dream of founding cities wherever he went.
While others were not intended to become cities at all.
Today we present to you the story of the origins of one of the biggest cities of the modern
world, Cairo or as Greeks and Romans knew it, Babylon.
In this video, we will explain the significance of its location, design and purpose, and by
the end of the video, recreate a historic battle for the fort, where an enemy would
challenge these mighty walls and win over the fort…
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The province of Egypt was crucial to the survival of the Roman Empire.
Its agricultural output fed millions of otherwise hungry Roman citizens, with countless convoys
of trading ships crossing the Mediterranean every sailing season.
The maintenance of this supply link was so critical that its administration was delegated
to a career equestrian, rather than a senator, lest they revolted and cut off grain shipments
to Italy.
In fact, Egypt was unique in the way that all senators were forbidden from ever setting
foot in the province.
But Egypt was not only dedicated to growing crops.
Many of the Empire’s most important quarries were also located there, and the ports on
the Red Sea coast were of paramount importance for trade with distant India, which brought
a significant economic boost to the Roman Empire.
It comes as no surprise that the military garrison of the province was consistent with
its strategic importance.
Despite the relatively minor threats it faced from the west and south, its original garrison
was composed of three legions and auxiliaries, numbering around 20,000 men in total.
This number would drop to 15,000 in the early first century, and then to 10,000 during the
reign of Trajan, when 2 legions were withdrawn from the province.
The remaining garrison guarded the province through the 2nd and 3rd centuries, which proved
to be a chaotic and unstable period for the province.
Egypt was subjected to local rebellions, usurpers, religious unrest and an increase in barbarian
raids across the province.
It fell to Emperor Diocletian to set things straight.
Between the years 297 and 302, he would personally visit the province and take drastic steps
to reinforce the frontier and restore its internal security and economic activity.
First of all, the local garrison was more than doubled and a local military commander
was appointed, answerable only to the emperor.
Then, positions in the southern frontier were abandoned in favor of a new chain of forts
and outposts, effectively sealing off the province from any incoming attack.
Such was the scale of these reforms that even ancient temples like Luxor were converted
into legionary forts.
And lastly, the entire civilian administration and tax system was adjusted, ensuring that
Egypt remained one of the most crucial suppliers of the Imperial treasury.
But there was still a need for a fort to guard one of the most strategic areas of Egypt - and
this is where Fort Babylon comes in.
It was to be located along Trajan’s canal, known to the locals as Amnis Traianius, which
was built on the old remains of a channel made by the Pharaohs.
Its purpose was to connect the mighty Nile river with the Red Sea, thus opening trading
routes through the Horn of Africa and into ancient India.
After sailing for weeks, sailors could expect to reach India, and trade gold and Mediterranean
goods for Indian spices, ivory, pepper, silk, and much more. The Roman elite paid good money for these
exotic goods, which inspired more and more sailors to make the tough journey and enrich
themselves.
From the time of its construction, it has become one of the most lucrative trading routes
of the Roman Empire, with a steady flow of workers being continuously recruited for its
maintenance, hailing from as far as Oxhyrrincos, more than a hundred kilometers away.
So on the orders of the emperor, the 3rd "Diocletiana" legion arrived to construct one of the most
impressive fortifications of Roman Egypt - the fort of Babylon, situated on Trajan’s canal
and the Nile river.
Its site would act as an important transport node and customs office, with a series of
its own port installations made of stone.
But its main purpose - to guard the entrance into the canal.
For most ships passing by, it was the end of the known world, but to the most ambitious
of traders, it was a gateway to a mysterious and largely unknown world ahead.
Throughout its existence, tens of thousands of ships would sail through it, carrying millions
of denarii in revenue to stimulate the Roman Economy.
The fort’s location was so strategic that it would serve as the foundation of the modern
city of Cairo, one of the largest in the world and capital of Egypt.
At one point, the great modern metropolis was nothing more than this beautiful Roman
fort, nourished by continuous trade from the Nile.
The rectangular fortress encompassed an area of almost 7 hectares, being 380 meters (1247
feet) long and 180 meters (591 feet) wide, with Trajan’s canal flowing through it.
The engineers of the IIIrd Diocletiana made great use of the already existing stone port
installations, and used them as solid foundations wherever possible.
The fort’s distinct appearance is formed by the two massive towers at the entrance
of the canal.
These three storey high circular towers protected the most vulnerable section of the fortification
against any incoming attack from the river, providing an 18-meter-high firing platform
for archers and small artillery.
Their circular shape and many windows ensured they had no blind spots, and no one within
a radius of hundreds of meters was safe from their reach.
They also doubled down as storage facilities for the garrison in times of need.
The complexity of constructing such circular towers in antiquity is a silent testament
to the skill of Roman engineers.
It is worth mentioning that one of the towers survived to this very day and was converted
into a modern orthodox church of St. George.
Two more circular towers were also replicated on the other side of the fort, making it also
capable of denying access to the Nile river from the canal.
The fort was riddled with crenulations along the walls and towers, providing protection
to the defenders in case of an attack.
These 4 circular towers can easily be labeled as state of the art in terms of defense and
architecture, but the rest of the fortifications were not far behind…
The walls, being an impressive 15 meters high and 4 meters thick, would have presented a
serious challenge to any incoming attacker without proper siege equipment.
On top of that, every 22 meters of wall was interrupted by a large “U-shaped” tower,
protruding 14 meters ahead.
In case of an attack, these structures allowed the garrison to effectively defend any part
of the wall with a crossfire, thus multiplying the firepower of the garrison, and exposing
the enemy to missiles from 3 directions.
They also allowed for quick sally-outs, as each tower had a small postern gate for launching
swift hit and runs, or setting fire to siege equipment...
If this wasn’t enough, the fortress had 4 other gates from which defenders could launch
surprise attacks at the enemy.
If the besiegers did manage to break through the gate and portcullis behind it, they would
find themselves facing yet another gate.
This time though, they would be in the center of a kill-zone, exposed to projectiles on
all 360 degrees.
This is a nightmare for any attacker…
The engineers of the IIIrd Diocletiana also gave huge importance to internal communication
and the rapid deployment of troops.
With these in mind, a wide road was erected between the wall and the buildings inside,
allowing the garrison to quickly transfer troops to threatened sectors.
Furthermore, the garrison’s barracks were built into the walls, allowing the garrison
to man their battle positions in a matter of minutes.
Even though it was the IIIrd Diocletiana that constructed this massive fort, later accounts
reveal that it was a fragment of the old XIIIth Gemina legion that served as the garrison
of fort Babylon, until as late as the Vth century AD.
Unfortunately, much of the internal layout of the fortress remains unknown to this day.
What was confirmed was a bridge connecting both sides of the fort, some civilian and
administrative buildings, places of worship and a Praetorium, the house of the commander.
But thus far, it has been impossible to pinpoint these structures accurately, so we had to
estimate a layout for our model.
The two largest buildings are the Praetorium, and Principia, the main administrative headquarters
of the fort.
There buildings are present in every Roman fort, and Babylon is no exception.
Among the smaller civilian houses, there must have been a hospital, granary, workshops,
and stables, with a possibility of a bathhouse.
Archaeologists suspect that the fortress also acted as a supply depot for the civilian administration;
gathering the local agricultural produce and shipping it to the capital city of Alexandria.
And the presence of an important bridge going over the Nile implies that they also managed
the movement of sailors going through the Nile and travelers passing from one bank of
the river to the other.
Lastly, the presence of a nearby Nilometer, a device used to predict the water level and
flooding cycles of the Nile, suggests that the garrison was actively involved in the
agricultural production of the region.
The strong defenses of Babylon would be finally tested against the incoming Arab tide.
Following the crushing defeat at the battle of Yarmouk in 636 AD, the victorious Arab
armies had swept aside any opposition with ease.
Palestine and Syria fell in quick succession, (between 637-639) together with many of the
Holy Places of Christendom.
By late 639 a small advance force of 3.500 men under Amr Ibn Al-As was already on its
way to Egypt...
This small force would capture the strategic city of Pelusium, the gateway to Egypt, and
carry out a small incursion into the other bank of the Nile Valley, defeating a small
Roman force before retreating to await reinforcements.
Meanwhile, the Romans had not been idle, Theodoros, the commander of Roman forces in Egypt had
managed to scramble a 20,000 strong army to meet the Arab threat.
Both armies met near Heliopolis in July, where Theodoros’ forces would be completely destroyed,
with only a few hundred survivors making it back to Babylon with their commander.
Theodoros left the command of the force to Cyrus, a patriarch of Alexandria, while himself
rushing to Alexandria to gather reinforcements.
Amr wanted to pursue him, but recognised that Babylon and the forces in it were too significant
to leave at his rear.
So he changed course to the walls of Babylon, and by September, blockaded the city.
In the first days of the siege, messengers and envoys were exchanged between both sides,
as the opposing armies wished to negotiate an end to hostilities.
But Amr also didn’t want to be dragged into endless negotiations, and sent his terms in
simple words: convert, pay tribute or surrender.
These conditions were refused by the Roman garrison.
In the coming weeks, there was little attempt by the Arabs to take Babylon by force, as
it would result in significant losses and a possible defeat.
The Romans soon realized that their besiegers were trying to starve them out instead, and
in a response, launched an all out attack in October, hoping to catch their enemy by
surprise.
Unfortunately for them, Arab forces were on high alert and managed to inflict serious
losses on the Romans, who were forced to fall back demoralized into the city.
Their loss of morale was made evident with them reopening negotiations, this time agreeing
to surrender, but only on condition that it was ratified by Emperor Heraclius himself,
in Constantinople.
With the Arabs agreeing, Cyrus departed for Constantinople, where he would face the wrath
of Heraclius, who stripped him of his rank and rebuked the surrender..
The message was clear for the garrison: Babylon would have to be defended no matter the cost,
until reinforcements arrived.
It wasn’t until January, 3 months later, when Theodoros felt confident enough to relieve
the siege of Babylon.
The impenetrable fortress provided him with enough time to mobilize new troops and march
them south, soon engaging with the blockading Arabs close to the city.
Upon seeing this, the besieged Romans initiated their own attacks to keep the besiegers occupied,
but once again, couldn’t inflict significant damage on them.
It soon became evident that Theodoros’ forces were unable to make any progress, and they
had to withdraw for the time being.
To make matters worse, shocking news from Constantinople shook the morale of the garrison
even further in March: Emperor Heraclius had recently died and the court of Constantinople
was busy designating a successor; no help was going to arrive anytime soon…
The final blow to the garrison was delivered on the 6th of April at night.
A small Arab party managed to place a ladder undetected and infiltrate the city.
In the ensuing chaos, the Roman garrison decided to surrender the fort, after an impressive
7 month holdout period, provided by the imposing defenses of Babylon.
With this, the road to Alexandria was now open to the Arab forces and with it, the control
of all Egypt.
In less than two years after entering the province, Egypt was under complete Arab control.
But Babylon would flourish under their rule, effectively replacing Alexandria as the capital
of Egypt, taking the name of Cairo.
Surprisingly, its walls could still be seen and touched in the center of Cairo today,
and its descendant city could be heard thriving all around it…
If you ever happen to visit Cairo, be sure to pay a visit to the remains of this ancient
fortress, with its towers still proudly protruding out of the modern urban landscape…
I hope you enjoyed this small reconstruction of history.
Consider supporting us by subscribing and watching other related content we’ve made,
like other models of forts around the world.
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I hope to see you all in the next one!