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Secondary sourceArtifact12th century (well); 1882 (engraving)

Yusuf's Well

Georg Moritz Ebers · 12th century (well); 1882 (engraving)

A deep well cut into the rock of the Cairo Citadel, named after Saladin (Yusuf), built to supply water to his fortress.

This well, cut on Saladin's orders, supplied water to the Cairo Citadel he built as his fortress.

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Engraved cross-section drawing of the hydraulic works of Joseph's Well (Pozo de José) in Egypt. A tall vertical shaft descends from a domed stone housing at the top, with a spiral stair cut around the shaft, animal-powered wheel mechanism at the upper level, side chambers, and a horizontal gallery. Caption below reads: Obra hidráulica del Pozo de José.
Hydraulic works of Joseph's Well, Cairo Citadel. Engraving in Georg Ebers, Egipto, Barcelona, 1882.

About this source

What it is

Yusuf's Well is a deep well cut into the rock beneath the Cairo Citadel, named after Saladin, whose given name was Yusuf. The image shown here is a later engraved cross-section drawing of its hydraulic works, published in a 19th-century book on Egypt, showing the shaft, spiral stairs, and animal-powered wheel mechanism used to raise water.

Why it matters

The well was part of the fortress Saladin built to defend and supply Cairo. Its engineering, requiring a deep shaft and a system for lifting water, shows the practical problems rulers had to solve to keep a fortress habitable under siege, and the resources Saladin commanded to build it.

Look closer

  • Why would a fortress need its own independent water supply?
  • What does the complexity of the well's mechanism suggest about the engineering skills available to Saladin?
  • This drawing was made centuries after the well itself — what might it get right or wrong?

This artifact is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Saladin on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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Bronze dirham coin, obverse, showing a seated figure facing forward, cross-legged, with a rounded face and hands resting on knees, flanked by a high-backed throne. Arabic inscriptions in circular margin around the edge.Artifact

Primary source

Dirham of Saladin

AH 586 (AD 1190-91)

Engraving of a mounted figure in a tunic on a pale horse, with a banner-carrying rider behind him and a scroll above reading a proclamation. Soldiers with spears and a tent camp appear on the left, and a walled town on a hill behind. Caption below in print reads that Saladin caused it to be proclaimed that he carried nothing with him to the grave but a shirt.Painting

Secondary source

Saladin Proclaims He Will Take Only a Shirt to His Grave

John Payne · 1639

Exterior of the Saladin Citadel in Cairo at golden hour: thick tan stone walls with round towers and crenellated battlements, with the domed mosque and two slender minarets rising behind on the hilltop. A modern city street with trees and lamp posts lies to the right.Artifact

Primary source

Cairo Citadel

Saladin · begun 1176

Sepia photograph of the Tomb of Saladin in Damascus. A large stone arch spans the left, behind a domed structure with arched windows and a striped-arch window. Ruined walls, a rubble courtyard, and a few people near a ladder stand in front. The caption reads 791 Tombeau de Saladin Damas, with the name Bonfils.Photograph

Secondary source

Tomb of Saladin, Damascus

Medieval manuscript illumination of mounted knights in combat on a grassy field with red-dotted ground. Riders with lances and shields charge; one rider labeled Saladin and another labeled Guy. Red and black Latin text fills the page above.Painting

Secondary source

Saladin Seizing the True Cross from Guy of Lusignan

Matthew Paris

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