Saladin Citadel Description
The Citadel of Salah ed-din was constructed to consist of two sections; the Northern section which was a military stronghold with large fortified walls sounding it from the Northern and Eastern directions. These walls have small openings carved inside them to enable the soldiers to protect the fortress in the case of any attack.

The second section of the Salah ed-din Citadel, the Northern section, was specified as the residence for the ruler of Egypt and it contained also a large palace that many of the kinds of Egypt lived in. However, this section was changed completely afterwards and nothing really survived from the original constructions.
The Citadel of Salah ed-din had many gates in many of its walls in order to facilitate the entrance and exists of soldiers and different people visiting the citadel. One of the most important gates of the fortress is the Mokattam Gate which was established during the Ottoman era. today It is known as Salah Salem gate in reference to the name of the street where it is located today. This is the main entrance to the citadel nowadays in Cairo.
Also, another important gate in the Saladin Citadel is the New Gate that was established by Muhammad Ali in 1827 to enable larger military cars and canons to enter the citadel. This gate is located near Dar El Mahfozat, the national records office of Egypt, situated to the Western section of the walls of the citadel.
One of the most astonishing features of the Saladin Citadel is the Josef water well as it is a unique piece of architectural art as it consists of two deep holes in the ground. This was why some historians thought that the citadel has two water wells. One of the halls is actually big enough to enable bulls to enter deep under the ground to move the waterwheel situated in the deeper section of the well in order to elevate the water to upper levels.
Since the Salah ed-din Citadel became the residence of the rulers of Egypt for a long period of time, many of these kings and Sultans had many establishments constructed inside the citadel to create the fortress we have today.