Martini Enfield Rifle
Citadel 1907

Calibre .303
Serial No 5133A

Originally a 1874 Dated MkI Martini Henry Action

Price: £750

Very Good Bore

Citadel Martini – British Guns Rebuilt in Cairo

In 1903, the British government shipped a load of spare/surplus Martini rifles, parts and tooling to Egypt, where it was set up in the Armory at the Citadel in Cairo.

While Egypt was technically a part of the Ottoman Empire at this time, British troops had entered the country in 1882 to protect the British interest in the Suez Canal and never left.

Eventually in 1914 Britain would declare the country a formal protectorate, but until then they exercised political power – in part by helping to supply Egyptian security forces with arms.

In the Citadel, the Egyptians assembled Martini-Enfield rifles and carbines in .303 British caliber using British-made parts.

These rifles had their actions marked with a star in a crescent with the word “Citadel” and the date of the work.