Cairo Citadel Aqueduct

The Cairo Citadel Aqueduct or Mamluk Aqueduct (Arabic: سور مجرى العيون, romanized: sūr magra al-ʿayyūn) is a medieval aqueduct system in Cairo, Egypt. It was first conceived and built during the Ayyubid period (under Salah ad-Din and his successors) but was later reworked by several Mamluk sultans to expand the provision of water to the Citadel of Cairo. Although no longer functioning today, much of the aqueduct structure, including its water intake tower, the Fumm al-Khalig, still stands.

History

Ayyubid aqueduct

The Citadel of Cairo was a massive fortified complex and royal residence begun by Salah ad-Din (Saladin) in 1176 and most likely finished by al-Kamil at the beginning of the 13th century. The Citadel was the centerpiece of a new extensive defensive system for Cairo which included building a long wall around both Cairo and the older city of Fustat and connecting it to the Citadel. Salah ad-Din, or one of his Ayyubid successors, also developed the idea of bringing water from the Nile to the Citadel by building a canal along the top of this wall. The aqueduct started from the wall's western end near Fustat (at the shore of the Nile), where water was raised through a series of waterwheels, and ran from there to the Citadel. This project was likely carried out or finished by al-Kamil (even though the full course of the defensive wall Salah ad-Din had envisioned was never fully finished). This aqueduct system was built in addition to the famous Spiral Well built by Salah ad-Din (also known as the Bi'r Yusuf) inside the Citadel, which could provide water in times of siege in case the aqueduct was cut off.

First Mamluk aqueduct

During the Mamluk period, the Citadel was further developed by successive sultans into an even more elaborate complex, with more ambitious buildings.