IMPORTANT: Levels 21 through 26, set in Cairo, are interconnected. Some backtracking among them is needed to find all the necessary items. This walkthrough covers what I hope is the most direct route including all kills, pick-ups, and secrets. I have also included a CAIRO OVERVIEW outlining the basic path through the levels. This chart contains minor spoilers, such as keys and puzzle items, so you may want to avoid it unless you get lost/confused. The walkthrough also contains notes on what to do if you missed any crucial items.
LEVEL 23: CITADEL GATE (first visit)
Updated: 5/5/19(†)
Kills: 14 Items: 11 plus Nitrous Oxide Canister Secrets: 1*
NOTE: Occasionally the last two bats don't appear, or you may only encounter one bat, bringing the total to 12 or 13. Two additional enemies are encountered later, when you revisit. They are noted near the end of the STREET BAZAAR walkthrough.
You enter this level for the first time from the CHAMBERS OF TULUN, through the passageway guarded by the Minotaur.
ALLEY WITH WOUNDED SOLDIER: Don't panic if the camera goes wiggy and doesn't allow you to look. Hop down into the alley; it's safe. Approach the wounded soldier on the low ledge.
Cutscene: Lara kneels near the soldier. She tells him she's looking for a way into the Citadel. He explains that the city is under siege, that some sort of creature attacked his men and now blocks the way. Before this creature drove them out, they parked truck full of ammunition nearby and mined an area of the street to keep the creature contained. He tells Lara to find his men near the northern cemetery, retrieve the frequency for the mine detector and a code for disabling the explosives, then return to him. "Tell them Sergeant Aziza sent you," he says. A complete transcript of the dialogue appears on the separate Cinematics page.
Pick up the revolver ammo on the ground near the sergeant. (screenshot) Then follow the street away from him.
Cutscene: The camera pans the area, showing the "creature" Aziza mentioned: a huge, armored, fire-breathing DRAGON. If you take note of the scenery, you'll see the munitions truck the sergeant described parked in the alley in front of the dragon (screenshot) and another road leading away to the south.
DRAGON GUARDING THE CITADEL: Just to the left after the cutscene is a safe spot behind a low wall with a row of narrow columns on top. Run in here and pick up grenades and a small medipack. If you linger too long in the area with the dragon, a swarm of locusts will emerge and attack Lara. If this happens, try saving and reloading the game. They should disappear. Otherwise, run to the wall with the columns and crouch there to minimize the damage, or run back toward Aziza and keep moving until the swarm disperses. (screenshots)
NOTE: Saving and reloading will usually eliminate locust swarms; however, if Lara remains in the spot where the swarm is triggered, it may reappear shortly after you reload. In these cases, try running away first, then save and reload. Or save and reload repeatedly until you get out of the danger zone. Of course, you can just run away and/or use health packs until the swarm disperses.
Don't even bother shooting at the DRAGON. Its golden armor protects it from your puny weapons. Either run past it as soon as you've picked up the items or stand in the safe area near where you found the grenades. Wait until the dragon has just unleashed a series of fireballs, then run/jump or sprint past it along the street to the south. Run through the gray archway and immediately turn left to get out of the path of the fireballs. (screenshots)
Every time you pass through the area near the dragon, including the corridor with the reddish walls just south of the dragon, you'll encounter a swarm of locusts. (screenshot) Again, saving the game as soon as the locusts appear and reloading usually makes them disappear, but if you linger here, they'll continue to respawn.
NOTE: In the red stone corridor just beyond the gray archway, there's a crawlspace high on the west wall. (screenshot) This passageway leads back to the north end of the street. To save backtracking, I have included it later, when you need to return this way anyway.
ALLEY WITH CROCODILES: Continue southward until you come to a clothesline strung across the street and a large, raised opening on the right. Climb into the opening and hop down into an alley. (screenshot) Advance with your shotgun drawn, ready for the crocodile that comes out of the crawlspace ahead. (screenshot) Repeat the process for a second crocodile. Or, draw out the crocs, jump back onto the ledge in the doorway, and shoot them with pistols. Then crawl into their lair for poisoned arrows and revolver ammo. (screenshot) Crawl back out.
OPEN AREA WITH COFFINS, SWITCHES, AND BELLS: Climb through the gap in the north wall (on the left if Lara's back is to the crocodile lair). Below are a pair of stone coffins with symbols on their lids. There are also 4 switches: 3 on the north wall at ground level and a 4th on a ledge to the west, above the coffins. High above the 3 switches are carved tiles with symbols and numbers. The tile on the right is obscured by a wooden chest. If you like, you can use the crossbow and laser sight to shoot an explosive arrow at the chest, knocking it aside so you can read the inscription, but this isn't necessary. Hop down near the coffins. (screenshots)
Cutscene: A bird's eye view of the area, showing the symbols on top of the coffins.
This puzzle isn't as difficult as it may at first seem. The coffin below the dangling rope has the symbols corresponding with 1 and 3 (| and |||). The other coffin has the symbols corresponding with 1, 2, and 4 (|, || and ||||). And, in fact, pulling these combinations of switches slides each coffin aside, revealing an opening beneath. However, the coffins and switches don't reset, so you can just use all of the switches in any order to move both coffins. (screenshots)
Drop into the tunnel near the coffin below the dangling rope. Run down the ramp and use the CROWBAR as a handle for the lever, opening a door in the other tunnel. Climb back up, drop into the other opening, go down the ramp and through the door you just opened. Use the switch there to open the door above near the coffins. A swarm of locusts emerges and follows you back to the surface. (Save/reload to get rid of them.) Go through the door near the coffins, killing a couple of bats inside. Then continue up the ramp. As you approach the opening at the top of the passageway, more locusts appear, but they should disperse during the cutscene without doing too much damage. When you step forward into the opening above the coffins, 2 more bats attack. Hop back shooting. (screenshots)
Cutscene: A wide-angle view of the opening where Lara is now standing.
This next section is a little tricky, so you'll probably want to save first. Then take a running jump to grab the dangling rope. Scoot to the bottom and rotate to face the bell to right of the opening where you just emerged. Use the Look button to check Lara's angle and adjust if necessary. Aim at the wooden chest between the doorway where you started and the ledge in front of the bell, where you actually want to land. Swing forward, jump, and hold Action to land in the opening with the bell. Drop back and hang from the ledge. Let go and grab the opening below. Crawl in for a SECRET (58/70), a large medipack and explosive arrows. Crawl back out and drop to the ground. (screenshots)
LEDGES AND AWNINGS ABOVE THE STREET: Return through the doorway near the coffins, up the ramps, and around to the opening overlooking this area. The locust swarm appears once more, but saving and reloading should get rid of them. Again, take a running jump to grab the dangling rope. Slide to the bottom, and this time swing straight forward and jump to land on the square ledge on the side of the next building to the south. Turn left and take a running jump to the striped awning. Walk to the outer corner and take a standing jump up to the next ledge. Immediately turn around and kill a giant beetle that flies at you from below. When it's dead, turn to the east once more. (screenshots)
The purple surface on the wall ahead looks climbable but is not. So instead, walk to the corner and take a standing jump to the next striped awning on the left (north) side of the street. Then either take a standing jump down to the ledge below and just around the corner, or take a standing jump to grab the "real" ladder on the opposite wall. Climb around the corner to the left and drop onto the ledge below. Lara won't climb from the ladder onto the horizontal crevice to the left, so you'll need to find another way forward. (screenshots)
If you don't care about getting all the kills, you can avoid the next two beetles by taking a running jump over the wooden bars and clothesline to grab the next ledge, which juts out below the crevice. Pull up. Then climb into the opening, take the small medipack, and drop back onto the ledge. Skip the next paragraph. (screenshots)
Or, if you do want every kill, walk to the edge of the ledge below the ladder, draw the shotgun (or your weapon of choice), and take a standing jump up to the ledge on the other (east) side of the street. Run forward to the wall, roll, and kill the next giant beetle as it approaches. Then move to the outer left corner of the ledge and take a standing jump forward to grab the overhead bars. Another beetle appears and starts to nibble on Lara, so monkey swing as quickly as you can across the street to the wall, drop and grab the crevice, traverse to the left, and drop onto the ledge. Roll and shoot the beetle. Then climb into the opening, take the small medipack, and drop back onto the ledge. (screenshots)
Turn around, walk to the right corner, and take a standing jump down to the striped awning across the street to the right (southeast). From there, take another running jump to grab the reddish opening in the wall to the south. Pull up and follow this passage to an opening above a deep pit. Kill the bat that flaps in from the right. (screenshots)
DEEP PIT AND WRECKED TRUCK: Now you're headed for the white ledge with the overturned truck on the right side of the pit, where the bat came from. To get there, walk to the edge and position Lara with her right foot against the right side of the opening. Sidestep once to the left, then turn about 45 degrees to the right. Hop back, then take a running jump to land near the truck. Pressing the Right direction button while in the air may help, but don't press Action, since this shortens the jump. (screenshots)
Immediately draw a weapon or two to take out 2 giant beetles. Be careful not to let them push Lara into the pit, and stay clear of the area to the right of the truck, or Lara will catch fire. I found it helped to run past the truck into the far left corner, roll, and shoot the beetles. Then retrieve the NITROUS OXIDE CANISTER sitting on the ground next to the truck. (screenshots)
NOTE: No, Lara isn't after a laughing gas high. This is one of the components that will give the motorcycle a turbo boost. You'll also need to find the VALVE PIPE in the TRENCHES level. And, yes, you chemistry majors are right. N20 is the actual formula for nitrous oxide; the canister is mislabeled.
Return to the edge of the deep pit. Now you're aiming for the flat spot on the opposite edge of the pit, below the wrecked taxi. You can take a running jump directly across the pit to land there, but Lara will lose a little health in the process. The safer way is to take a running jump to the slope on the left, just below the opening where you first entered this area, and slide down the slope to land on the flat spot. If you misjudge the jump and slide toward the pit, just grab the edge, traverse around the corner and pull up. Then run up the slope toward the taxi and turn left to get back to the street. (screenshots)
BACK TO THE START: Follow the street to the north, through the greenish, misty area below the awnings you jumped across earlier. Continue northward, past the alley where you killed the crocodiles and swung on the rope, and through the locust-infested corridor to the gray archway just before the DRAGON. (screenshots)
If you don't care about every kill and pick-up, you can skip the next section and run past the dragon to get back to Sergeant Aziza. (screenshots)
DARK PASSAGEWAY WITH WAY TOO MANY BUGS AND BATS: If you like a challenge, light a flare and climb into the raised crawlspace on the left (west) wall just before the gray archway. Another locust swarm appears and continues to respawn as long as you remain in close proximity to the dragon. You can try saving and reloading repeatedly or use medipacks as needed. Drop down into the dark passageway on the right. Roll and pick up some flares just below the crawlspace opening. Then slide down the ramp to find some explosive arrows and a large medipack. As you run up the next slope toward the exit, a couple of bats may join the swarm. Shoot them now or pull up into the crawlspace on the right, turn around, and drop drop down into the street. Then roll and run to the left (northeast) into the misty area just before Sergeant Aziza. You can then save and reload to get rid of the locusts, turn around, and deal with the bats. (screenshots)
NOTE: If you have even a little health left after coming through the crawlspace, don't bother using a medipack. You'll change levels soon, and Lara's health will be restored.
Continue to the northwest. Approach Sergeant Aziza, who is still sitting on the low wall where you left him.
Cutscene: When you return to Sergeant Aziza after talking to him the first time but before re-entering the CHAMBERS OF TULUN, he gives Lara a pep talk. This is transcribed in the Cinematics section.
Climb over the ledge where the sergeant is sitting. Then pull up into the doorway in the left corner and follow the passageway back to the CHAMBERS OF TULUN. (screenshot)
CHAMBERS OF TULUN - AREA BEHIND THE CHAMBERS: Continue to the opening overlooking the street. The Minotaur will be huffing and puffing below, unless you destroyed him earlier using the motorcycle collision bug. Climb down the ladder to the ground. Turn left and follow the short passage to a raised opening on the left. Jump to grab the edge, pull up, and slide down the other side into the street. Run to the left (north), past the Minotaur. (Or take a leisurely stroll down the street if you killed him before.) Run around the corner to the right. Run past the back door of the CHAMBERS and hop down off the low ledge. The Minotaur won't follow you any farther. Get on the motorcycle, which should be parked somewhere nearby. Follow the road to the north, down one hill and up the next, to enter the TRENCHES. (screenshots)
REVISITING THE CITADEL GATE: You will return to this level later, before finally entering the CITADEL itself. This second brief visit, which includes 2 enemies, is covered at the end of the the STREET BAZAAR walkthrough. Check the CAIRO OVERVIEW for additional details.
*NOTE ON SECRETS: There are 70 secrets in the entire game. These are marked "(x/70)" in this walkthrough. To check your progress in-game, press Pause (P on keyboard, Start on PlayStation or Dreamcast controller) then choose Statistics. There are no secrets in this level, but if you found all secrets up to this point, you should have 58/70.
†UPDATE HISTORY: 1/17/11 - Added note about saving and reloading to possibly eliminate locust swarms.
5/5/19 - First major update since this walkthrough was created in 1999. This revision includes many new screenshots as well as various other corrections and clarifications.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS: Special thanks to the participants in the alt.games.tombraider newsgroup and the old tombraiders.com forum, without whom parts of this walkthrough could not have been written, and to CMB1988, Craig M., Dorothee, Jeff Reid, J.K., Mark S., Storm Nature X, Sturm, VermilionNeko, and Zomber for their tips and corrections for this level.
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