The Art And Architecture of Islamic Cairo

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