The Art And Architecture of Islamic Cairo
The Art And Architecture of Islamic Cairo
The Art And Architecture of Islamic Cairo
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(1468–96). Here the inlaid luxury <strong>of</strong> metalwork finds its correspondence<br />
with inlays <strong>of</strong> ivory, bone, ebony, cedar and redwoods. Two <strong>of</strong><br />
the finest minbars <strong>of</strong> the period belong to Sultan Qa’it Bay. One is<br />
in his funerary complex in the Eastern Cemetery and the other is<br />
in the Victoria and Albert Museum. <strong>The</strong> form <strong>of</strong> the these minbars<br />
assumed a broadly uniform design: triangular in shape, with<br />
canopies adorned with projecting tiers <strong>of</strong> muqarnas crowned with<br />
bulbous finials like those on contemporary minarets. <strong>The</strong> origin <strong>of</strong><br />
the Victoria and Albert minbar is uncertain. Creswell attributed it to<br />
Qa’it Bay’s madrasa at Qalat al-Kabsh, which has a modern wooden<br />
minbar. <strong>The</strong> Victoria and Albert minbar (c. 1470) is remarkable for<br />
its richness <strong>of</strong> design and colour, with its dark wooden inlay picked<br />
out with finely carved ivory arabesques. Its sides are made up <strong>of</strong><br />
patterns <strong>of</strong> grooved strapwork radiating from sixteen-pointed stars<br />
with small ivory panels filling the various polygonal interstices. Of<br />
the same period is a well-preserved minbar in the mosque <strong>of</strong> Amir<br />
Qijmas al-Ishaqi (1494–5), one <strong>of</strong> Qa’it Bay’s amirs. <strong>The</strong> design here<br />
is very similar to that <strong>of</strong> the Victoria and Albert minbar, but the<br />
bosses at the centre <strong>of</strong> the radial patterns give the surface more<br />
relief, and bone is used as a substitute for ivory.<br />
A third notable minbar <strong>of</strong> Qa’it Bay is in the khanqah <strong>of</strong> Sultan<br />
Faraj ibn Barquq in the Eastern Cemetery. Unlike the others, this is<br />
made <strong>of</strong> stone and expresses the virtuosity <strong>of</strong> stone carving that<br />
reached its peak during the Qa’it Bay era. It is an elegant structure<br />
leaning against the qibla wall with remarkable patterns radiating from<br />
sixteen-sided rosettes on the triangular side panels. Reverberating<br />
from the centre <strong>of</strong> these rosettes is an immensely complex network<br />
<strong>of</strong> lines that terminate at the edge, forming half rosettes. A fine<br />
arabesque is carved between these lines but it is the geometrical forms<br />
that dominate the field. <strong>The</strong> balustrade panels are decorated with<br />
alternating stellar patterns and arabesques, and the square side panels<br />
under the seat <strong>of</strong> the minbar are carved with Naskhi script. <strong>The</strong>re is an<br />
open space, normally filled by rectangular panels, under the seat<br />
between the triangular side sections and the qibla wall. This adds<br />
lightness to the structure and contributes to its leaning aspect. Four<br />
columns carved with chevrons carry three elegant arches, each<br />
shaped like a fleur-de-lis, and supporting a canopy crowned with a<br />
beautifully carved bulbous finial.<br />
<strong>The</strong> geometric ingenuity <strong>of</strong> Cairene design is also demonstrated<br />
in the mashrabiyya lattice-work that characterizes so much <strong>of</strong> Egypt’s<br />
domestic architecture. In the mosque its use was limited, but this<br />
form <strong>of</strong> turned woodwork was employed in the screens <strong>of</strong> the Salih<br />
above: Minbar <strong>of</strong> Sultan Qa’it Bay, in the Victoria<br />
and Albert Museum.<br />
<strong>The</strong> Decorative <strong>Art</strong>s <strong>of</strong> the Ayyubids and Mamluks 181