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01-Egipto-Itinerary I ITINERARY I The Seat of the Sultanate (the Citadel and its Surroundings) Salah El-Bahnasi, Mohamed Hossam El-Din, Gamal Gad El-Rab, Tarek Torky I.1 CAIRO I.1.a Museum of Islamic Art I.1.b The Citadel Towers: al-Ramla and al-Haddad I.1.c Tower of Sultan Baybars al-Bunduqdari I.1.d Ruins of al-Ablaq Palace I.1.e Mosque of Sultan al-Nasir Muhammad I.1.f Madrasa of Qanibay Amir Akhur I.1.g Mosque and Madrasa of Sultan Hassan I.1.h Madrasa of Gawhar al-Lala I.1.i Entrance of Manjak al-Silahdar Palace I.1.j Entrance of Yashbak min Mahdi Palace Mamluk Dress Sports and Games in the Mamluk Era Mosque and Madrasa MAIN of Sultan Hassan, ITINERARY general view, Cairo 69 ITINERARY I The Seat of the Sultanate (the Citadel and its Surroundings) north and Fustat to the south, the desert and rocky hills bordering to the north and east. The North Wall of the Citadel (military section) Salah al-Din entrusted the construction of the Citadel to his Minister Baha’ al-Din Qaraqush al-Asadi who began with the north curtain wall which he built along an irregular line for defensive purposes. The main gate, al-Bab al-Mudarrag (the “Staircase Gate”) is located in the west wall crowned by a foundation plaque, which dates the gate to the year 579/1183. It was later restored in 709/1309 by the Sultan al-Nasir Muham- mad Ibn Qalawun. Several semicircular towers are placed along the length of the walls, of which al-Ramla and al-Haddad The Citadel, view from When Salah al-Din al-Ayyubi had his towers, located on the eastern edge, are the North Cemetery, Citadel built, his desire was for it to be particularly noteworthy (I.1.b). This sec- Cairo (D. Roberts, both a defensive fortress and the seat of tion, which was reserved for the armies, 1996, courtesy of the American University of the Sultanate. His initial lack of trust in contained buildings used as Mamluk Cairo). Cairenes led him to have the Citadel lodgings, none of which have survived to located at a distance from the city, the our day. construction of which followed the In the year 901/1496 the German knight fortress model of the Crusades. Archi- Arnold Von Haref arrived in Cairo on his tectural innovations were introduced, way to Jerusalem, seeking permission however, mainly ideas gathered during from the Sultan of Egypt, al-Nasir Salah al-Din al-Ayyub’s time spent in Muhammad Ibn Qaytbay to travel to Aleppo and on campaigns carried out in Palestine and Syria. The Sultan took Syria and Palestine against the Cru- interest in the man and invited him to an saders. Such elements are evidenced by audience at the Citadel. The book that the bent passageway entrances render- Arnold Von Haref wrote on his journey ing access from the outside difficult provides us with records of palaces, hous- while aiding defence from the inside es and a Mamluk school, where 500 and by the machicolations, or project- young men were trained in the art of ing galleries, from which to observe horse-riding, while also learning to read and attack the enemy. The Citadel was and write. sited in an ideal defensive position, Next to Bab al-Mudarrag we find three overlooking the city of Cairo to the marble plaques bearing details of succes- 70 ITINERARY I The Seat of the Sultanate (the Citadel and its Surroundings) sive restorations carried out by different another, the ruins of which still survive sultans. Firstly Sultan Jaqmaq’s renova- today in the al-Siba‘ tower (I.1.c) dat- tions on the gate in 842/1438; the second ing back to the reign of Sultan Baybars was carried out by Sultan Qaytbay in I al-Bunduqdari. 872/1468 and the third by Sultan al-‘Adil These walls separated the residential Tumanbay in 922/1516, the latter two area from the Sultan’s stables. Among being aimed at strengthening the walls of those who most influenced the building the Citadel. of the Citadel are Sultan Baybars and the Qalawun family, who definitively estab- lished the seat of the Mamluk Sultanate The South Wall of the Citadel there. Unlike the events marking the (residential section) first half of the Citadel’s history, when the Ayyubid governors made every There is evidence that work commenced attempt to isolate it from their people, in this area with the well Qaraqush dug the two Mamluk Sultans were con- at the same time that the northern walls cerned with opening up the Citadel to were being built. The well, guaranteeing its people. the supply of water to the garrison, is In the stables’ area we find the mosque accessed by a descending spiral staircase known as Ahmad Katkhuda al-‘Azab and is divided into two parts by a water which goes back to the time of the Burgui wheel of earthenware vessels. The wheel Mamluks. It was built in the year raised water to a tank located half-way 801/1399, during the reign of Farag Ibn up the well shaft and from there, water Barquq. was brought to the surface by other wheels. Mosque and Madrasa of Sultan Hassan, Later, Sultan al-Kamil Ibn al-‘Adil entrance, Cairo (D. al-Ayyubi would have the royal palaces Roberts, 1996, built and it was then that he had the seat courtesy of the of power established in the Citadel to American University which he brought his family and govern- of Cairo). ment. Henceforth, the Citadel remained the seat of government and residence of governors of Egypt until 1291/1874 in the era of the Khedive Isma‘il. With the arrival of the Mamluk Sul- tans, earlier palaces built by al-Kamil were reconstructed and converted into three royal residences known as the Palaces of al-Guwaniyya near the al- Ablaq Palace (I.1.d). Furthermore, Sultan al-Nasir Muhammad commis- sioned a great iwan for the council of the Sultanate to meet. The southern stretch of wall was surrounded by 71 ITINERARY I The Seat of the Sultanate (the Citadel and its Surroundings) Cairo Mamluk Monuments outside I.1 CAIRO the Citadel During the times of the Mamluk sul- I.1.a Museum of Islamic Art tans, the wall over the Citadel Square (al-Rumayla) was embellished with The museum is located near Bab al-Khalq, several dazzling palaces, reflecting the opposite the Cairo Directorate of Security. grandeur and opulence of the Sul- Opening times: daily from 09.00-16.00 closed tanate. Citadel Square is considered Fridays 11.30-12.30 in winter and 13.00- one of the oldest squares in Cairo. 14.00 in summer. There is an entrance fee. During Ayyubid rule and from the beginning of the 6th/12th century it In 1880, the Commission for the Con- became the city’s centre of gravity. Al- Nasir Muhammad Ibn Qalawun servation of Arab Monuments was found- planned the urban layout and had palm ed with the aim of creating a complete and other trees planted; around it he inventory of works of art in the different was to have a stone wall built, such Islamic houses, palaces and mosques. Of that the square was transformed into a these pieces, 110 were transferred to the vast space stretching well below the Arab Archaeological Museum, a building walls of the Citadel, from the gate of in the courtyard of the Fatimid Mosque, the stables to the cemetery (nowadays al-Hakim bi-Amr Allah, next to the north Sayyida ‘A’isha). walls of the city. The collection continued During the Mamluk era building work to expand acquiring artefacts from the continued within the Citadel walls Commission and the first catalogue of the around the square of the same name collection was published in 1895. Given and with the houses of Sultan Baybars’ the limited space of the site, another larg- amirs and successors. Among the most er museum was built in Bab al-Khalq, noted constructions are the Palaces of next to the Egyptian National Library in Yashbak min Mahdi (I.1.j), Manjak 1903, to which the Arab Archaeological al-Silahdar (I.1.i) and Alin Aq al-Husa- Museum transferred its collection. The mi. The horse (al-Khuyul) and armour- building, designed along traditional Islam- ers (al-Silah) suqs, thought to have ic lines in keeping with the works on dis- reached perfection as model specialist play, held onto its name. While the col- suqs, were also transferred to this area, lection belonged to the artistic legacy of in the vicinity of the Mosque of Sultan the Arab countries, it also housed a vari- Hassan. ety of art collections from non-Arab Around the Citadel, numerous religious Islamic countries, such as Turkey, Iran and buildings were erected, among them the India. Thus, it was decided in 1953 that Madrasas of Sultan Hassan (I.1.g), Gawhar the name should be changed to the Muse- al-Lala (I.1.h) and Qanibay al-Rammah um of Islamic Art. (I.1.f). The greatest collection in the world of Islamic archaeology, comprising some 100,000 pieces is found here. The works M. H. D. and T. T. occupy 25 rooms on two floors and are 72 ITINERARY I The Seat of the Sultanate (the Citadel and its Surroundings) Cairo Museum of Islamic Art, main façade, Cairo. displayed in chronological order from the Museum of Islamic Umayyad period through to the end of Art, entrance, Cairo.
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