Al-Muizz

Restored monuments

The most important monuments restored are:

1. Bab al-Futuh (AD 1087)

By the time of the powerful Fatimid vizier Badr al-Jamali, who ruled Egypt from 1074 to 1094, Cairo had outgrown the sun-dried brick wall of Jawhar. This, coupled with the attempts of the Turkoman Atsiz to take Cairo, among other threats from the East, spurred al-Jamali to rebuild the walls of the city.

Bab al-Futuh, built in 1087, was part of this rebuilding campaign which included two other gates: Bab al-Nasr and Bab Zuwayla. Bab al-Futuh and Bab Zuwayla mark the northern and southern limits respectively of the Fatimid city and function as termini for Shari' al Muizz li Din Allah, the major Fatimid north-south spine.

Each of the three gates comprises two massive towers, which are square in Bab al-Nasr and rounded in Bab al-Futuh and Bab Zuwayla. The towers flank a recessed, highly articulated gateway and are joined above the gateway by a curtain wall.

The incorporation of spherical-triangle pendentives employed to carry the dome over the entrance-passage, the use of semicircular arches and horizontal arches, and the intersection of rising tunnel vaults were unusual in Egyptian architecture.

The new Syrian taste for stone, which appropriates classical details in non-classical schemes, as exemplified by the Aleppo minaret, resonates through the three gates of Badr al-Jamali. These Cairene gates reflect the legacy of late antique architecture in north Syria, combined with Fatimid decorative elements.

The stretch of wall between Bab al Futuh and Bab al Nasr follows the salient of al Hakim's northern minaret, since the walls were intended to enclose the mosque, which originally stood outside the city walls of Jawhar.

Named after the Fatimid soldiers from the Berber tribe al Zawila who settled near the site of the original gate in 969, Bab Zuwayla was also named Bab al Mitwalli in the Ottoman period since the Wali of the janissaries resided near the gate.

2. Bab Zuwayla (AD 1092)

Bab Zuwayla marks the southern limit of the Fatimid city and functions as terminus for al-Muizz Street, the major Fatimid north-south spine of the city.

Antecedents of the scalloped-arched panels of Bab Zuwayla in Islamic architecture can be found in palaces and mosques of Samarra, and on the minaret of the Great Mosque of Aleppo (1089-90) which is almost contemporary with the Bab Zuwayla.

The new Syrian taste for stone, which appropriates classical details in non-classical schemes, as exemplified by the Aleppo minaret, resonates through the three gates of Badr al Jamali. The arabesque medallions at the apex of the panels on the towers of Bab Zuwayla and the medallion on the keystone of the vault of the loggia above its great archway are representative of Fatmid techniques.

Named after the Fatimid soldiers from the Berber tribe al-Zawila who settled near the site of the original gate in 969, Bab Zuwayla was also named Bab al-Mitwalli in the Ottoman period since the wali of the janissaries resided near the gate.

It was first the site of great Mameluke ceremonials and processions, and later used for executions. From the towers rise the two minarets of the Mosque of al Mu'ayyad, built in 1415-22.

Apart from being great representatives of Islamic military architecture, these fortifications, which were never put to the test by invaders, are particularly important for being among the very few examples of military work predating the Crusades.

3. Al-Hakim Mosque (AD 990 and later)

Construction of the Mosque of al Hakim was begun by the Fatimid Caliph al-'Aziz in 990 and finished by his son al-Hakim bi-Amr Allah and his overseer Abu Muhammad al-Hafiz 'Abd al-Ghani ibn Sa'id al-Misri in 1013.

The mosque is constructed of brick with stone facades and minarets. Its irregular rectangular plan is composed of a rectangular courtyard surrounded by arcades supported by piers, with a prayer hall whose arcades are also carried on piers.

The aisle leading to the mihrab is emphasized both in width and height. The termination of this aisle at the mihrab is marked by a dome carried on squinches and domes mark the outer corners of the prayer hall as well.

The front facade was given a central projecting monumental portal and its two corner minarets--different in shape and decoration, were encased in projecting square stone structures during the reign of al-Hakim in 1002-3.

4. Zawyat Abul-Kheir al-Kelibati

The Zawaya stands on al-Kelibati Street off Al-Muizz Street in historical Cairo. It was built under the Fatimid Caliph al-Zaher to sustain religious practices.

5. Al-Silihdar Complex (mosque, caravansary and school) (AD 1837)

One of the most magnificent mosques, it was built by Amir Suleiman Agha al-Silihdar under Mohammad Ali Pasha The Great’s rule.

It has three courtyards to which are attached a caravansary and a school. The mosque’s wooden arcades are a mixture of traditional oriental elements and western elements, brought from Europe to Istanbul in the 18th and 19th centuries; and from Istanbul, they were introduced to the rest of the Islamic world.

Another feature characteristic of this pearl of a mosque are those wooden Ottoman-style domes.

6. The Mustafa Jaafar Mansion

The mansion sits at the head of al-Darb al-Assghar alleyway which branches off al-Muizz Street. To its south-east lies al-Khazarati Mansion which stands in the vicinity of al-Sihimi Hous.

The mansion was built in 1713 by Mustafa Jaafar al-Silihar, a major 18th century coffee trader.

7. Al-Aqmar Mosque

The Mosque of al-Aqmar was built by the Fatimid vizier al-Ma'mun al-Bata'ihi in 1125 during the caliphate of al-Mustansir.

Located on the main artery of the city, the mosque's elaborate ornamentation and design are seminal for Cairo's architecture, especially for the way its plan shifts to accommodate both the qibla orientation and the existing street pattern. In plan it is a regular, rectangular hypostyle mosque with a square courtyard, but the depth of the façade is adjusted to fit the building behind to the dictates of the existing urban scheme.

Constructed of brick with stone facing, the façade is highly decorated with inscriptions and sculptural decoration.

The entrance portal is set within an arch with keel-shaped niche. The interior of the niche is fluted, with a central medallion inscribed with the names of Muhammad and 'Ali, which are also inscribed on the chamfered corner of the building.

The brick minaret, along with restorations including the mihrab and minbar, was introduced by the Mamluk Amir Yalbugha al-Salimi in 1397.

Though rising ground levels make the mosque appear at street level, it was originally built above a row of shops which are now buried. These shops were waqf or endowment for the mosque which would have provided it with a tax-exempt income.

8. The Katkhuda Sabeel/Kuttab (caravansary and school)

The Sabeel-Kuttab of 'Abd al Rahman Katkhuda of 1744 was named for its patron, a Mameluke amir and leader of the Egyptian Janissaries. The two-storey square structure consists of the fountain within the block of the first level, which is surmounted by space for the school in the form of a two-tiered arcaded pavilion.

The structure sits on a triangular site formed by the splitting of al-Muizz Street into two branches. It serves as a visual focus for the termination of this major spine, especially to those approaching it from the monuments of the Qalawunids in the Bayn al-Qasrayn area.

The Sabeel-kuttab, with its marble mosaics, muqarnas corbeling, voussoirs of alternating colors, and polychrome marble revetment, is characteristic of 'Abd al Rahman Katkhuda's extensive architectural patronage in Cairo, which blended Mameluke and Ottoman architecture and decoration.

9. Amir Bashtak Palace

The Palace of Amir Bashtak was built by Amir Bashtak al-Nasiri, one of al-Nasir Muhammad's close khassakiya amirs and his son-in-law, in 1334-39 on the site of the Fatimid Eastern Palace (al-Qasr al-Sharqi).

It remains nearly complete in its original form, with two stories, qa'a, a small courtyard, and integrated stables which have a special gate opening onto a side street.

The long facade was endowed with many windows opening onto the busiest street in medieval Cairo.

10. Al-Kamileya School

Standing to the West of al-Nahassin (coppersmiths) Street, the school, built in 1225 by Sultan al-Kamil, originally consisted of two buildings the remaining of which is the western building.

This was the second school to be dedicated to teaching Hadith, the first being that of established by al-Adel Nurredin Zinki in Damascus, Syria.

11. Sultan al-Zahir Barquq Funerary Complex

Sultan Barquq, the founder of the Burji or Circassian Mameluke dynasty, built his complex between 1384 and 1386 in the coveted Bayn al-Qasrayn area.

The architect Shihab al Din Ahmad ibn Muhammad al Tuluni, who belonged to a family of court architects and surveyors, was in charge of part of the construction. The name of Jarkas al Khalili, the master of Barquq's horse and the founder of the famous Khan al Khalili, appears in the inauguration inscription on the facade and in the courtyard.

Sultan Barquq sought to legitimize his rule by associating himself with the previous dynasty, the Bahri Mamelukes, to whom the legacy of fending off the Crusaders and Mongols and espousing Sunni Islam was bequeathed.

Having established himself socially by marrying Baghdad Khatun, a widow of Sultan Sha'ban, one of the last descendants of Sultan Qalawun, he ordered the construction of a funerary foundation for his family.

To emphasize the continuity he intended he chose a site next to the early Qalawunid monuments on the prestigious al-Muizz Street. This resulted in a continuous wall of contiguous facades with window recesses, portals, crestings, domes, minarets, and bands of tiraz, all executed in different styles competing for visual dominance and attesting to the powerful role of Mameluke architecture in the political arena. Each facade represents an episode in history on the stage provided by the dismantled Fatimid palaces.

This complex, with its marble paneling, bronze-plate doors, molded stone ornament, and elaborately worked minaret, was to set the tone for Cairene architectural decoration between 1400 and 1450.

The octagonal minaret departs from most minarets from this period in displaying a shaft with stone carving, which, in the 15th c., replaces the inlaid stone work characteristic of 14th c. minarets. The royal rank (blazon) is applied to basic objects and materials like window stucco grilles and rough wood, possibly because building materials were rare and precious.

12. The Sabeel/Kuttab of Khassru Pasha

While considered among the oldest Ottoman sabeels still standing in Cairo, it represents local Egyptian planning of sabeels. It stands alone, unattached to other buildings.

13. The Madrasa of Baybars al Bunduqdari

Next to the tomb of al-Salih once stood the Madrasa of Sultan Baybars I.

Aybak, who married al-Salih Ayyub's widow, Shagarat al-Durr, in 1250, was one of al-Salih's slaves and the first Mamluk ruler, but the Mamluk Empire really began with Baybars al-Bunduqdari (Baybars of the Crossbow), who ruled from 1260 to 1277.

A great leader, organizer, and builder, Baybars defeated Hulagu's Mongols at 'Ayn Jalut (Goliath's Spring) in Palestine in 1260, after they had destroyed Baghdad in 1258, then he carried on a series of successful and almost overwhelming campaigns against the Crusaders. His madrasa, called the Zahiriya, was built on the site of the Hall of Tents and the Hall of the Lotus of the great Eastern Palace of the Fatimids, next to the tomb of his former master al-Salih Ayyub.

The Madrasa of Baybars I existed until 1874, when it was destroyed to make way for a road from Suq al-Nahhasin to Maydan Bayt al-Qadi. In 1882 the minaret fell.

All that survives today is the block of stones that was once the lower part of the west corner. Over the windows on the south side are carved stone relieving arches, under which are two panthers carved in stone. Baybars means 'lord panther,' and the animal appears on several of his works.

14. Al-Ashrafiya School

The foundation of Sultan Barsbay at Suq al-Nahhasin (the coppersmiths' bazaar) was built in 1425. It is a cruciform four-iwan design dedicated to Sufis who wished to study the four rites of Islamic law according to a traditional madrasa structure.

This madrasa figures importantly in understanding the change in function and form of Burji religious institutions.

It has been suggested that there is no mihrab in the madrasa's mausoleum, because accommodating one would have left no room for a window on al-Muizz Street, which would have deprived the tomb of its crucial visual contact with the street.

The mihrab, a highly decorative feature which underscored the religious character of the mausoleum, is replaced here by the blessings of the passersby.

15. The Sabeel/Wekala of Naffissa al-Baydha

The sabeel/wekala were founded by Naffissa al-Baydha, wife of Murad Bey, Egypt’s ruler of 2o years and one the richest women of her time.

Naffissa first built her wekala in 1796 on the southern end of al-Muizz Street. Later, a sabeel and a kuttab were attached.

16. Sultan al-Mu’aid Mosque

Sultan al-Mu’aid built his mosque in AD 1415. It faces al-Muizz Street withthe portal standing to the left of Bab Zuwayla.

The Mosque consists of a courtyard, at the center, surrounded by four aisles, the largest of which is that leading to the qibla. The walls are marble-covered. The mosque’s twin-minarets rise above Bab Zuwayla. There are four entrances. The dome can be accessed through a door on the left of the entrance.

Interred in the mausoleum are the remains of Sultan al-Mu’aid and his children.

17. The Hammam (bath) of Sultan al-Ashraf Inal

The Hammam stands on al-Muizz Street and dates back to AD 1456. The front faces al-Muizz Street and the building is designed so as to prevent pedestrians from watching what takes place inside. The reception hall is square with a wooden roof and with a 28-window skylight.

18. Funerary Complex of Salih Najm al Din Ayyub

The Madrasa of al-Salih, the first in Egypt to be built for all four Sunni schools of Islamic law following the example of the Madrasa al-Mustansiriyya in Baghdad (1233), was constructed under al-Salih in 1242-44.

This monument thus marks the introduction of what became a basic Mameluke mausoleum formula: a tomb adjoining a theological school. Later, this madrasa came to be more than just a center for worship and scholarship. Here the four chief religious justices, or qadis, heard cases referred to them from lower courts.

Throughout much of the Mameluke period, they formed the supreme judicial tribune of the state. This was the center of the town, the courthouse square of Cairo.

The madrasa consists of two wings separated by a public passage, each wing comprising a courtyard onto which two opposing iwans open.

The larger of the two iwans is oriented towards Mecca. Two stories of student living units occupy the lateral sides of each of the two courtyards.

Each one of the four iwans served as a study area designated for one of the four schools. Teachers taught in their own houses.

The arrangement of two iwans on the opposite sides of a courtyard and student cells on its lateral sides may have evolved from the residential qa'a configuration consisting of two iwans on the opposite sides of a durqa'a (square space covered by a skylight).

The mausoleum, the first in Egypt to be attached to a madrasa, was built by Salih al-Din's wife Shajarat al-Durr in 1250. The transitional zone has the earliest example of a Cairene three-tiered brick muqarnas squinch.

19. The Sabeel of Mohammad Ali – Aqqadeen

The Mohammad Ali Sabeel in Aqqadeen stands on the head of al-Room alleyway in Ghuria. It was built in 1820 by Mohammad Ali The Great in memory of his son Amir Tosson. The building design is greatly influence by European architecture.

20. The Sabeel of Mohammad Ali – Nahasseen

Located opposite the mosque of al-Nasser ibn Qalawun, it was built in memory of Ismail Pasha who died in 1822.

21. Al-Fakahani Mosque

The history of al-Fakahani Mosque, formerly al-Afkhar, can be traced to the 11th century. The old Mosque was built on the orders of Caliph Abul-Mansur ibn al-A’amer bi’Ahkam Ellah. Later, the mosque was restored by Amir Yashbek ibn Mahdi, and then by Amir Ahmad Katkhuda.

22. Madrassa of al-Nassir ibn Qalawun

Construction of the Madrasa of Sultan al-Nasir Muhammad ibn Qalawun was begun under Sultan al-'Adil Katbugha who ruled briefly (1295-6) after Sultan al-Nasir Muhammad's first reign (1294-5), and was completed under Sultan al-Nasir Muhammad's second reign from 1299 to 1303.

The portal, a remarkable piece of Gothic marble work, is a trophy seized from a church in Acre, the last Crusader stronghold in Palestine. It was brought to Cairo at the behest of Sultan al-Ashraf Khalil, who conquered Acre in 1291, and was assimilated into the facade of the madrasa by al-'Adil Katbugha.

The minaret is one of the few in Cairo decorated with stucco carving. Here it includes recesses flanked by engaged colonnettes and surmounted by fluted shells with scalloped edges. These shells recall those adorning Fatimid and Ayyubid facades and mihrabs.

The stucco floral patterns, which fill the space between these recesses as well as the space between the medallions above the recesses, are characteristic of stucco carving from this period.

The body of al-Nasir Muhammad was interred in the mausoleum of his father Qalawun instead of the mausoleum which he had built for himself as part of this foundation.

However, it is the burial site of his mother Bint Sukbay, whose body he transferred from the Mausoleum of Fatima Khatun upon the completion of this mausoleum, as well as his son Anuk, who died in 1340-1.

The madrasa accommodates all four of the Sunni schools of jurisprudence, one of only three in Cairo which does so. The tunnel-vaulted student cells occupy the lateral sides of the courtyard. Since the two side iwans (Hanafi and Hanbali) are narrower than the qibla iwan (Maliki) and the one facing it across the courtyard (Shafi'i), several stories of inward-looking living units are placed in the corners between the lateral iwans and the major ones.

The domed mausoleum is separated from the madrasa by the main entrance passage or corridor, accessed from a forecourt. There is a direct visual link between the mausoleum and the madrasa established by a window centered on the interior southwestern wall of the mausoleum that faces a window in the back wall of the madrasa's northeastern iwan, also across the entrance corridor.

Unique among Cairene monuments are the raised, egg-shaped stucco bosses in high relief with punched ornament decorating the hood of the mihrab in the qibla iwan.

This is also the last stucco mihrab in Egypt. The back wall in both the southeastern (qibla) and northwestern iwans incorporates an air shaft or malqaf that terminates in a recess on the back side of the northwestern iwan. This rectangular vertical shaft ran upwards in the thickness of the wall to the roof, where it was once covered by a hood with a sloping roof.

Its sides were closed except the one facing north, which traps the prevailing breeze and deflects it downwards.

23. Al-Ghuri Complex

Sultan Qansuh al-Ghuri was second to last of the Mameluke sultans and the last to enjoy a reign of any duration (1501-16). Al-Ghuri died of a heart attack while fighting the Ottoman Turks outside Aleppo, following the defection of Amir Khayrbak in the midst of the battle.

His body was never found, and was not buried in his mausoleum on which he had spent a fortune. The foundation of Sultan al-Ghuri was built between 1503 and 1505. The complex straddles both sides of al-Muizz Street, with the congregational mosque-madrasa built on the western side, and the khanqah-mausoleum-sabeel-kuttab on the eastern side.

The facades of the complex flanking al-Muizz Street, unlike the earlier religious complexes in the city, are not adjusted to the street alignment, and instead follow the orientation of the two sides of the complex.

Since the two opposing facades are both set back from the original lines of the street, this divergent portion of the street is transformed into a sort of square which is semi-enclosed at the north end by the projection of the sabeel-kuttab of the mausoleum, and at the south end by the projection of the minaret of the madrasa.

The thoroughfare was expanded so the patron could incorporate the urban space into the complex and rent it for market stalls. The income generated by these stalls and by the shops built into the lower levels on the qasaba facades contributed to its upkeep.

The final changes in the form and function of late Mameluke religious architecture are detected here. The khanqah is reduced to a mere gathering hall and lodgings for Sufis are absent. Although designated as a madrasa, the building across the street is a congregational mosque that follows the cruciform plan with attached students' cells.

The entirely rectangular minaret introduced the novel feature of a top storey with four bulbs, and may originally have been covered with green tiles. The present five bulbs are a modern reconstruction. This minaret and the original minaret of Aqsunqur are the only documented minarets with four stories instead of the standard three.

24. The Sultan al-Mansur Qalawun Complex

The complex of Sultan Qalawun was built for the sultan by Amir 'Alam al-Din Sanjar al-Shuja'i in 1284-5 and consisted of the founder's mausoleum, madrasa, and a maristan (hospital). The complex was located on al-Muizz Street.

The mausoleum's central, domed plan is connected to the madrasa by a long entrance passage, and the plan of both spaces is shifted to accommodate the qibla orientation.

The mausoleum, which is separated from the madrasa by this long corridor, is accessible via a small courtyard surrounded by an arcade with shallow domes. The octagonal structure was roofed by a dome which was destroyed in the 18th century.

The current concrete dome, which is a replica of that covering the Mausoleum of al-Ashraf Khalil ibn Qalawun (1288), was built by Max Herz Bey in 1903. The octagonal base is transformed into a circle by means of wooden muqarnas. The elaborate interior decoration includes marble revetment, carved, painted, and gilded wood, carved marble, and stucco.