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.

The Citadel of Cairo was a massive fortified complex and royal residence begun by Salah ad-Din (Saladin) in 1176 CE and most likely finished by al-Kamil at the beginning of the 13th century.

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.

[3] 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.

[2] The aqueduct itself consisted of a channel carried along the top of large stone piers and arches, which ran for about one-and-a-half kilometers due east before turning northeast, and after half a kilometer the aqueduct then joins the old canal which was constructed along the top of Salah ad-Din's city wall.

[3] According to art historian Caroline Williams, the aqueduct and the Khalij canal continued to provide water for Cairo up until 1872.