The citadel sits on a bluff above the western bank of the Tigris, dominating the bend in the river that made Tikrit strategically valuable for centuries. It was badly damaged during the fighting that accompanied the ISIS occupation and the subsequent recapture of the city in 2015, and parts of it remain unstable.
What survives gives a sense of the original scale — substantial walls, a commanding view up and down the river, and traces of earlier construction beneath later Ottoman-era modifications. Access and conditions on the ground change frequently; anyone visiting should seek current local advice before approaching the site.