Fortress of Babylon
Built during Diocletian's campaign to establish a military presence in Egypt, the Fortress of Babylon functioned as a symbol of imperial power. Increased threats from the East in the form of Sassanians and Parthians required the Romans to reinforce their territories, and the fortress's presence accomplished this without the need to recruit a vast number of new troops. The fortress was located at the center of major land and sea trade routes (in Old Cairo), and one of its main functions was to protect the head of the Trajanic Canal. More recently, sewage and flooding problems in Cairo have forced authorities to dig around the site of the fortress, and archaeologists have provided oversight to reduce damage to the building. </p> </p>
