The Art And Architecture of Islamic Cairo

elow: Bab al-Futuh.
48 The Art and Architecture of Islamic Cairo
talismanic role. 3 Such armorial bearings are unusual in Egypt,
although heraldry was used on glass and metalware during the
Mamluk period. Heraldic beasts such as lions and dragons are
common devices on gates and towers across the Muslim world. In
their protective capacity they are the Islamic counterpart to
Byzantine icons which were once frequently placed on city gates
and fortifications. One of the most famous icons in the Byzantine
world was the Mandylion of Edessa, an image of Christ imprinted
on cloth, which according to tradition was discovered walled up in
a niche above the city gate. Its whereabouts were revealed in a
dream sent to the Bishop of Edessa and its miraculous powers were
supposed to have saved the city from the Persians in 544. 4