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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above: Interior, prayer hall <strong>of</strong> the Mosque <strong>of</strong> Amr<br />
26 <strong>The</strong> <strong>Art</strong> and <strong>Architecture</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Islamic</strong> <strong>Cairo</strong><br />
and the distinguished lawyer Shafi’i (767–820), founder <strong>of</strong> one <strong>of</strong><br />
the four orthodox law schools <strong>of</strong> Sunni Islam (madhahib), taught there<br />
for many years during the eighth century. 20<br />
Amr’s mosque also formed the nucleus <strong>of</strong> the political, admin-<br />
istrative and commercial quarter <strong>of</strong> the city, and it must not be<br />
forgotten that it was first established to serve only the Ahl ar Raya<br />
area where the political and military aristocracy first settled. <strong>The</strong><br />
district also included the harbour and became the commercial<br />
centre <strong>of</strong> the city with its huge markets. Amr’s house was situated<br />
near the mosque, but political power devolved to the governors,<br />
who lived in their own palaces rather than occupying an <strong>of</strong>ficial seat<br />
<strong>of</strong> government. During the Abbasid and Tulunid periods, governmental<br />
and military power was transferred to <strong>of</strong>ficial palaces in the<br />
new suburbs <strong>of</strong> al-Askar and al-Qata’i, but the aristocracy still kept<br />
their residencies in the Ahl ar Raya district. <strong>The</strong> area became increasingly<br />
cosmopolitan as foreigners settled and invested in both trade<br />
and property. <strong>The</strong> ruling Umayyad dynasty, including Mu’awiya<br />
and his sons and daughters, owned property there, although they<br />
never permanently settled. It was during the reign <strong>of</strong> Mu’awiya that<br />
building activity accelerated and soon the quarter acquired an estimated<br />
500 houses, including 100 villas and palaces. 21<br />
After Omar’s death there were no qualms about building houses<br />
<strong>of</strong> more than one storey. Most had two, and the plans followed the<br />
introverted tradition <strong>of</strong> the Mediterranean, with rooms grouped<br />
around an inner courtyard. Some may even have had more than two<br />
storeys, reflecting the taller architectural traditions <strong>of</strong> southern<br />
Arabia. However, local building styles and methods generally<br />
prevailed because the builders were mainly Copts, familiar with the<br />
traditional unbaked mud-brick or pisé (a compound <strong>of</strong> kneaded mud<br />
and gravel rammed into shuttering). Recent archaeological evidence<br />
shows that other materials were also used, including stone and fired<br />
brick. Marble columns were occasionally used, and there was one<br />
example <strong>of</strong> a house incorporating recycled columns from<br />
Alexandria. Design features which have endured in domestic architecture<br />
for centuries were well established, such as the segregation <strong>of</strong><br />
public and private domains, and the development <strong>of</strong> the madjlis<br />
(reception room) and maq’ads (loggias on the second storey). <strong>The</strong><br />
larger houses and palaces had private mosques and their own wells<br />
and water supplies servicing bath-houses. One <strong>of</strong> the most imposing<br />
palaces was that <strong>of</strong> Dar al-Mudhahhaba, the so called Gilded House,<br />
because <strong>of</strong> its golden dome. Besides houses, other public buildings<br />
included numerous baths and covered markets. 22