The Art And Architecture of Islamic Cairo

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as ‘a people who love death better than life, and set humility above pride, who have no desire or enjoyment in this world, who sit in the dust and eat upon their knees, but frequently and thoroughly wash all their members, and humble themselves in prayer: a people in whom the stronger can scarce be distinguished from the weaker, or the master from the slave.’ 2 Qanatir al-Siba‘ Nile Rawdah Island Birkat Qarun AL-HAMRA’ Qantarat al-Sadd Mosque of Ibn Tulun QAL‘AT AL-KABSH Mashhad Zayn al-‘Abidin AL-QATA’I AL-ASKAR This reputation Mashhad of for endurance, simplicity and unworldly Sayyida Nafisa character contributed to their image of Citadel Bab al-Safa’ moral and military invincibility. Omar recognized this and refused to allow it to be SMALLER QARAFA corrupted by soft living. Mosque of Amr In their dealings with the Byzantines, Nilometer Imam al-Shafi‘i the Arabs were justified in feeling a sense of moral superiority, but in cultural matters boat bridge Babylon GREATER QARAFA they were undoubtedly inferior. As in Syria, Palestine and Iraq, they found themselves ruling a society that was culturally far more sophisticated than their own. Their response Bab al-Qantara to this was an odd mixture of profound Mosque admiration, distaste and resentment. While they were obliged to learn from, use and build on the commercial, administrative and artistic expertise of the non-Arab population, they were also anxious to establish their own al-Qarafa identity and way of doing things. For this reason, in establishing a new seat of govern- Birkat al-Habash ment, it was natural for them to desire a clean slate and distance themselves from the cultural influence of Byzantium. The new capital situated next to Babylon was named Fustat, and it answered psychological as much as strategic needs. Communications were good, and Omar, who kept a very tight reign on his armies (and Amr), appreciated the fact that messages transmitted between Babylon and Medina took less than a week. Omar was also keen to see the restoration of Trajan’s Canal, which linked Babylon to the Red Sea, so that Egypt’s surplus agricultural produce could be shipped to Arabia and other parts of the empire. The plan and development of Fustat mirrors the pluralism of Arab society, which in many respects was more complex and diverse than that of Alexandria. The Arab nation, like Islam, has above: The site of al-Fustat. ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Jazirat al-Sabuni 0 0 Nile 500 500 Khalij Bani Wa’il Bustan al-Ma‘shuq Bustan al-Jurf 1000 metres 1000 yards Khalij Minsha’at al-Fadil Aqueduct of Ibn Tulun JISR AL-A‘ZAM AL-A‘ZAM STREET Umayyad and Tulunid Architecture 15 N SALIBA
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ boat bridge Jazirat al-Sabuni 0 0 Nile Khalij Bani Wa'il Nile Rawdah Island 500 500 Babylon Wa‘lan Wa‘il Ahl ar-Raya Tudjib AL- HAMRA' Farsiyin Rashida Lakhm Khaulan 1000 metres 1000 yards AL- HAMRA' Khalij Al- Lafil Al-Azd Madhidj Mahra Yafi‘ Himyar Lakhm Ghafiq As Sadif Ghutayf Ru’ayn Al-Ma‘afir Djuhayna Birkat al-Habash above: Ethnic groups and multi-tribal quarters. 16 The Art and Architecture of Islamic Cairo Yashkur Az Zahir Saba never been monolithic. Fustat grew out of a military camp town, and its neighbourhoods were laid out to accommodate a complicated array of discrete tribes and clans with various branches and subdivisions. To name but a few ethnic groups and tribal quarters, some of the following are listed by Wladyslaw Kubiak: the Ahl ar Raya, Tudjib, Lakhm, al-Lafil, As Sadif, Khaulan, Madhidj, Murad, Saba, Yashkur, Ghafiq, Mahra, Rashida, Qarafa, al-Azd, Az Zahir, Hadramaut, Himyar, Wa’il, Wa’lan and so forth. In addition to the Arabs, there were Byzantine and Jewish converts, native Egyptians, Persians, Ethiopians, Nubians and other nationalities who joined the Arab campaign. 3 Jewish and Christian Cemeteries Hadramaut Muslim Cemeteries Besides these there were slaves, retainers and dependants. These ethnic groups were mainly professional sol- Qarafa diers, but their backgrounds were varied; some were Bedouin, but others came from agricultural regions or thriving commercial centres like Mecca. Each group was given an allotment, Jewish and Christian Cemeteries and its size and location reflected the ethnic, tribal and economic status of the group from which they came. Similar allocations were made during the founding of Baghdad just over a century later, but there comparisons end. Baghdad was a circular city and the tribal allocations were as if compartmentalized between the spokes of a wheel near its circumference. No such symmetry prevailed at Fustat, which at first glance seemed totally fortuitous in its composition. Its organic nature reflected with accuracy the ethos and organization of a military encampment. It also carried with it some of the values and traditions of Bedouin life. Centrally grouped near the mosque were the tribes close to Amr, such as the Ahl ar Raya, a multi-tribal unit, reflecting its senior position at the centre of command. The vanguard, consisting of the Rashida, Riya, al-Qabad and Wa’il, was situated in the south, and the rearguard of non-Arab tribes settled in the north. Non-Arabs were generally segregated from Arabs. Such arrangements provided a loose starting Murad Al- Kula Yahsub Aqueduct of Ibn Tulun N
Page 4 and 5: THE ART AND ARCHITECTURE OF ISLAMIC
Page 6 and 7: THE ART AND ARCHITECTURE OF ISLAMIC
Page 8 and 9: Contents Map of Cairo vi Preface 1
Page 10 and 11: Preface When I first visited Egypt
Page 12 and 13: Art and Architecture of Islam, 650-
Page 14 and 15: exploitation and persecution under
Page 16 and 17: The ecumenical councils defined ort
Page 18 and 19: any further conquest of Egypt would
Page 20 and 21: negotiations took place between Cyr
Page 22 and 23: altogether, Amr subsequently played
Page 26 and 27: point for urban development, but as
Page 28 and 29: He ordered them to place the stone
Page 30 and 31: Amr frequently preached the khutba
Page 32 and 33: After Salah al-Din, Sultan Baibars
Page 34 and 35: Its daily use in Amr’s time, serv
Page 36 and 37: AL-QATA’I With the fall of the Um
Page 38 and 39: throne in 870 he divided the empire
Page 40 and 41: in those days to recycle and use ex
Page 42 and 43: in an anti-clockwise direction up t
Page 44 and 45: on the north-west and south-east si
Page 46 and 47: plaster with cement or concrete. It
Page 48 and 49: organic and geometrical form. The r
Page 50 and 51: that of his wives in heroic size, a
Page 52 and 53: significant and legitimate minority
Page 54 and 55: knowledge of Egypt, both before and
Page 56 and 57: evidence here supports that view (t
Page 58 and 59: Bab al-Futuh, like Bal al-Nasr, is
Page 60 and 61: Although little remains of its orig
Page 62 and 63: oth al-Azhar and the palace were wi
Page 64 and 65: with fluted hoods. The whole façad
Page 66 and 67: Madrasa and tomb of Gawhar al-Qanaq
Page 68 and 69: vegetarian dish known as mulukhiyya
Page 70 and 71: monument, being restored by a numbe
Page 72 and 73: strong horizontal ribs at the botto
Page 74 and 75:
formal religious gatherings found a
Page 76 and 77:
out invocations, weeping and entrea
Page 78 and 79:
Egypt and Sunni territory ruled by
Page 80 and 81:
wooden fragments of this period in
Page 82 and 83:
where it was developed in glass mak
Page 84 and 85:
ecause this tiraz was woven in the
Page 86 and 87:
sense of legitimacy in the wake of
Page 88 and 89:
that of the delicate stucco mihrab
Page 90 and 91:
craftsmen, although their origin is
Page 92 and 93:
St Catherine’s monastery, Sinai,
Page 94 and 95:
and to her left is a bottle-shaped
Page 96 and 97:
oken by a spotted white underbelly
Page 98 and 99:
and grotesques, and what distinguis
Page 100 and 101:
decorated with palmettes, but the K
Page 102 and 103:
lustre-painted bottle in the David
Page 104 and 105:
from the second quarter of the elev
Page 106 and 107:
shows a central palm tree dividing
Page 108 and 109:
most illustrious lord al-Afdal, the
Page 110 and 111:
Raynard of Chatillon’s attacks on
Page 112 and 113:
0 0 100 200 100 200 Tomb of Sayyida
Page 114 and 115:
the main Citadel, fortifications we
Page 116 and 117:
Ibn Jubayr’s account is supported
Page 118 and 119:
gone so far as to offer his sister
Page 120 and 121:
largest. Its plan is divided into t
Page 122 and 123:
height of 29 metres is almost that
Page 124 and 125:
disciplined spirit of the age. The
Page 126 and 127:
Mausoleum Madrasa Qibla iwan North-
Page 128 and 129:
this new centre of government in th
Page 130 and 131:
imprisonment in the Red Tower on th
Page 132 and 133:
doors on the exterior are matched i
Page 134 and 135:
literature, the sciences, art and a
Page 136 and 137:
chase he was murdered, but accounts
Page 138 and 139:
tough unyielding personality of its
Page 140 and 141:
over the world. The intellectual cl
Page 142 and 143:
left: The minaret and dome of the S
Page 144:
patterns of the central window gril
Page 147 and 148:
138 The Art and Architecture of Isl
Page 149 and 150:
above: The sahn of the madrasa of S
Page 151 and 152:
elow: The minaret of the madrasa of
Page 153 and 154:
Page 155 and 156:
ight: The khanqah- madrasa of Amir
Page 157 and 158:
elow: The khanqah of Baibars al-Jas
Page 159 and 160:
Page 161 and 162:
top: The mosque of al-Maridani. abo
Page 163 and 164:
elow: Mosque of Sultan Hasan taken
Page 165 and 166:
elow: Plan of the Sultan Hasan mosq
Page 167 and 168:
Page 169 and 170:
above: The qibla iwan of the Sultan
Page 171 and 172:
above: Mausoleum of Gur-i Amir, Sam
Page 173 and 174:
CHAPTER SIX The Decorative Arts of
Page 175 and 176:
above: Twelfth-century Persian frit
Page 177 and 178:
above: Brass basin incised and inla
Page 179 and 180:
top: Brass candlestick inlaid with
Page 181 and 182:
above: Incense burner: 1268-79 (Bri
Page 183 and 184:
elow: Brass basin inlaid with silve
Page 185 and 186:
top: Mosque lamp: c. 1350-60. above
Page 187 and 188:
top: Doors of the Sultan Hasan mosq
Page 189 and 190:
above: Panel from the mausoleum of
Page 191 and 192:
top: Stone minbar in the khanqah of
Page 193 and 194:
above: Frontispiece of a Qur’an w
Page 195 and 196:
Page 197 and 198:
Page 199 and 200:
above: ‘Hand-Washing Machine’ f
Page 201 and 202:
above: Frontispiece to the Maqamat
Page 203 and 204:
above: The Simonetti Carpet: late f
Page 205 and 206:
above: Child’s tunic: late fourte
Page 207 and 208:
CHAPTER SEVEN The Architecture of t
Page 209 and 210:
Page 211 and 212:
above: View of the Eastern Cemetery
Page 213 and 214:
above: The domes of the khanqah of
Page 215 and 216:
above: One of the mausoleum chamber
Page 217 and 218:
Page 219 and 220:
Page 221 and 222:
above: Khanqah-madrasa complex of B
Page 223 and 224:
top: Plan of funerary complex of Su
Page 225 and 226:
elow: Plan of funerary complex of A
Page 227 and 228:
elow: Plan of funerary complex of Q
Page 230 and 231:
masonry and bands of joggled lintel
Page 232 and 233:
marbling in the mihrab has been str
Page 234 and 235:
oundels. The largest in the centre
Page 236 and 237:
al-Ahmar and Sharia Abu Huraybah, n
Page 238 and 239:
The Mamluk factions that precipitat
Page 240 and 241:
lower floors contained latrines, ni
Page 242 and 243:
cessors. Egypt then became a provin
Page 244:
The use of terracotta- and biscuit-
Page 247 and 248:
above: Interior of the mosque of Mu
Page 249 and 250:
Notes and References 240 The Art an
Page 251 and 252:
Page 253 and 254:
Page 255 and 256:
Page 257 and 258:
Page 259 and 260:
Page 261 and 262:
Page 263 and 264:
Page 265 and 266:
Chronology of Dynasties and Rulers
Page 267 and 268:
Table of Dynasties Islamic Calendar
Page 269 and 270:
Page 271 and 272:
Page 273 and 274:
Acknowledgements The Publishers wou
Page 275 and 276:
Armenian district 104 Armenians 46,
Page 277 and 278:
ewers (aquamaniles) metalwork 83-4,
Page 279 and 280:
al-Salih’s (Salihiya) 116-18, 137
Page 281 and 282:
60-1, 225 Philo of Byzantium 188 Ph
Page 283 and 284:
ulers 257 textiles 73-6, 195 woodwo
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