This is a trebuchet that is on display outside the Medieval Fortress called "The Citadel" in Cairo Egypt. I discovered this while on a recent trip. It is quite a remarkable siege engine and you can tell by the simplicity of it that trebuchets could be extremely effective because they weren't too hard to build in comparison to catapults of relatively the same size.

The swing arm of this trebuchet is approximately 18 feet in length although I couldn't get a real measure of it. I didn't pack a step ladder!

I may build some kind of a working scale replica of this trebuchet. But if you want to make a treb that is historically accurate these pictures will prove invaluable to you. I don't know anything about the history of this particular trebuchet but you can bet it is at least 200 years old.

This next picture gives you a pretty good sense of the size of it. Compare the trebuchet to the people walking nearby. That round tower is part of the citadel which is a medieval fortress located in Cairo. I have pics and information about that fortress here: The Citadel

And here is a pic of another real Trebuchet. That is Ken and this trebuchet is outside the Bern Historical Museum in Switzerland. I like this treb. Great size. This meant it could be easily transported. And my thanks go to Ken for sending in the pic!