The city of Alexandria lies on the southern edge of the Eastern Mediterranean and is connected to the Aegean Sea by its commercial shipping activities and the trading axis passing from Alexandria via Izmir to Istanbul. When the Ottomans conquered Egypt in 1517 and made it one of their vassal states, they found in Alexandria two large seaports that were secured by some towers, ribâts and isolated fortresses. The city itself was completely surrounded by a massive double wall with impressive gates and hundreds of towers. This elaborate defense system had been created since the 7th century under several Islamic dynasties, for Alexandria was considered as a “thaghr”, that is an important strategic spot on the Egyptian border. As a coastal city and big hub for commerce and pilgrimage, Alexandria was constantly exposed to attacks coming especially from the sea. Under Ottoman rule, Alexandria was located within the empire and thus less exposed to invaders. The city had lost its former rank due to the discovery of the sea route to India via the Atlantic Ocean by the Portuguese in 1498. The reduced danger of attacks lead to the creation of a new town outside the city walls on the peninsula between the two harbors, closer to the landing stages and international trading activities. Nevertheless, the city remained the “key to Egypt” for which reason the urban fortifications were maintained, renovated and completed. Janissary garrisons were placed in the fortresses by the Turkish rulers. Nowadays, nothing of Alexandria’s medieval fortifications remains but the mamluk Qaitbay fort at the entrance of the Eastern harbor. But we can track ottoman activities in the city due to the ottoman archives and traveler accounts such as the one written by Evliya Çelebi who came to Alexandria in 1672. He described the new ottoman town, the old city and its fortifications in detail. In the Qaitbay fort, our archaeological researches uncovered an Ottoman cistern and finds like ottoman clay pipes and decorated ceramic tiles.