Comparison between : BAB ZUWAYLA & BAB EL FUTUH

Yara Gamal 28-2409 Aya Mohamed 28-1603 Nermeen Kenawy 28-5576 GROUP NO. 1

FATIMID CAIRO GATES

CONTENTSIntroduction

I. Badr el Gamali’s walls................................................................................................02II. Wall description........................................................................................................03

BodyI. Bab Zuwayla...............................................................................................................04

Historical notes....................................................................................................05Urban surrounding...............................................................................................06Entrance situation ...............................................................................................07Description and Decorations ...............................................................................08Movement ..........................................................................................................12Light ....................................................................................................................13

II. Bab Al Futuh.............................................................................................................14 Historical notes...................................................................................................15Urban surrounding..............................................................................................16Entrance situation ...............................................................................................17Description and Decorations ...............................................................................18Movement ..........................................................................................................22Light ....................................................................................................................23

ConclusionI. Comparison...............................................................................................................25II. Review......................................................................................................................26

Bibliography

INTRODUCTION

1

Introducing the military architecture in Egypt and the fortresses, The Armenian wazir Badr al-Gamali in 1092 enlarged the city and reconstructed walls and gates in stone, bringing Armenian architects to rebuild the gates into military defenses. The present street pattern still reflects the original alignment of the thoroughfares. One of the most monumental group of structures built before the Crusades, which was from 1095 till 1291. These Ramparts*and the two gates between them are examples of Islamic military archi-tecture, although they were never used in a siege. The present stone enclosure is slightly larger than the original brick walls of al-Qahira, founded in 969 . These walls were com-missioned in 1087 by Badr al-Gamali to protect the city from possible attack by the Seljuk Turks. The Armenian architect John the Monk and his two brothers used high-quality stone and carved masonry details in a variety of vaults, shallow domes, and round arches. Cut stone was expensive, so many Pharaonic structures were destroyed to build the walls and there are large blocks of stone bearing Pharaonic inscriptions and motifs . Marble, cut stone and wood were always expensive materials in Egypt and still goes on today. The masonry in the lower part of the wall was reinforced with horizontal columns. The ground was lower than its present level, and the gate entrances were reached by ramps from the street. Along the entire length of the walls run internal galleries connect-ed by a series of vaulted rooms with arrow slits on the exterior and clear openings looking onto the city .Here guard rooms and living quarters turned the wall into a fortress. These passages were blocked at the gates to increase security. Towers were placed at regular in-tervals along the wall, with slits on three sides to allow soldiers a full view on the external side. Between the gates, are inscriptions of Quranic verses in the Kufic style are carved in stone along the exterior of the wall. On the upper part is a terrace protected by rounded merlons**along the parapet. In the twelfth century, Salah al-Din greatly admired the walls, but did not find them secure enough, so he reinforced them on either side of the gates.

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*Rampart : A fortification consisting of an embankment, often with a parapet built on top.**Merlons: A solid portion between two crenels in a battlement or crenelated wall.(1) Source: Behrens-Abouseif’s book : Islamic architecture in cairo

I.Badr El-Gamali’s wallsBab el Futuh

Bab Zuwayla

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Badr al-Jamall's walls are built on three levels. The street lev-el, including the vestibules or entrance halls of the gates, was originally higher than the street, and the gates were reached by ramps. The second level consists of galleries connected with vaulted rooms and halls with arrow slits on the outside and larger open-ings on the city side. These run along the entirety of the walls except at the junctures of the gates. The gates are solid up to the level of two-thirds of their height, and thus block the passage from one section to the other, for the sake of better defense. Towers are interspersed along the walls with halls and rooms. They protrude, with slits on three sides, to allow the guards a full view of the exterior. The third level forms a terrace, protected by the upper part of the walls and their round topped rectangular crenellations. The out-standing features of Badr al-Jamali's fortifications are the quality of the stone treatment, unparalleled in Cairo, and the variety of vaults used in the walls and gates: shallow domes, barrel vaults, cross vaults, and also a spiral vault in a staircase at Bab al- Nasr. Only round arches are used in the architecture of the whole wall complex.

II.Walls description

A picture of Bab Al futuh showing the three levels .

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BAB ZUWAYLA

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BAB ZUWAYLA

The southern gate is built in 1087, one of the Fatimid gates that remained

standing. It was put up by Armenian architects and named after Fatimid sol-

diers from the Berber tribe. It was named “Al-Mitwalli” in the ottoman time.

This structure dominates the street with the twin towers of the al-Mu’ayyad

mosque soaring over the gate, Both minarets are signed by Mu’allim (archi-

tect-builder) Muhammad ibn al-Oazzaz.

On the south side of the gate, two rounded towers connected by a covered

passageway over the large arched opening, To the west the wall becomes

part of the al-Mu’ayyad mosque, and to the east are the Fatimid ruins, con-

cealed by dilapidated buildings, The minarets, which can be entered from

the mosque, offer views of both inside and outside the walls.

The Gate was a place for executions and a resort for who needed the saint’s

intercession. The sultan used to sit on the platform between the two towers

to watch the start of the procession of the mahmal*.

Restoration occurred to the gate in 2001.

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*Processsion of the Mahmal :-The ceremonial palanquin that accompanied the annual pilgrimage caravan to Mecca from the reign of Sultan Baybars until the 1920s.-The mahmal is a set of richly decorated curtains carried by a camel procession and intended to drape the Kaaba.

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The gate is connected to el muayyad Mosque.A gate is never a free standing building. The area around the gate, it’s in Al Darb Al Ahmar , lies on the south of el Muizz street , which is considered nowadays as on of the most important streets in Islamic cairo as it contains a lot of monuments , also the southern part of El Muizz street is a market. Around the gate there are many important buildings such as Zawya and sabil of Ibn barqouq,sabil and kuttab of nafisa el bay-da,Mosque of salih el Talai’ and El mu’ayyad mosque.

Urban surrounding

Sabil and kuttab of Nafisa el Bayda

Mosque of Salih el Talaai

El Muayad Mosque Zawya and sabil of Ibn Barquq Site plan of Bab zuwayla.

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Entrance situation

When coming from the south from el Muizz Street,

the two minarets on top of Bab zuwayla can be seen

from faraway but not completely, by approaching

the whole gate starts appearing.

The entrance to the towers is on the eastern tower.

This structure dominates the street with the twin

towers of the al-Mu’ayad mosque soaring over the

gate. There is a secondary entrance in the right part

of the Gate and the street passes through the gate.

The minarets can be seen from el Muizz street

EL MUIZZ STREET

OUTSIDE THE FATIMID CAIRO

Bab zuwayla plan showing the entrance situation through the gate

Description & Decorations8

Bab Zuwayla consists of two semicircular towers, solid for two thirds of their height, and between them there is an archway, which is set back.The towers are not divided into storeys from outside. Only ar-row slits and a moulding, which defines a shallow vertical panel, crowned with a pointed arch, relieve the stonework of the curved facade.

The whole measures are 26 meter in width, 25 meter in depth and 24 meter in height (from the original ground level to the top of the crenellations). We observed inside the western semicircular tower a row of stone circles on the wall , those stone circles are actually the ends of col-umns that were used to bond the outer, dressed exterior face with the core of the interior. THE PASSAGE WAY between the two towers leads to the entrance door that is a squared vestibule covered with shallow dome built on triangular pendentives.Inside the vestibule to the right, coming from the south, there is a half domed recess with two exquisitely carved arches at the cor-ners. They have a tri-lobed curve and the upper part is treated like a shell. The left-hand side was modified when Sultan al-Muayyad built his mosque near the gate and had his minarets placed on the towers. Between the two towers and facing the southern outskirts of the city is a loggia that was used as the place for the ceremonial orchestra announcing royal processions to the accompaniment of music. South facade

A A

B

9Description & Decorations

THE GATEWAY begins with a setback semicircular arch . Between the towers is a semicircular gate supporting a gallery and above this a connecting open semicircular arch that forms a thickset barrel vault. Looking at Bab Zuwayla from the nortth (within the city ), we see a gabled roof between the two towers that show the Byzantine ori-gins( Byzantine architecture is famous for its : Gabled roofs , Round arches with spherical pendentives and cushion voussoirs). In fact, most features of the walls and gates are foreign to Islamic art, apart from some Quranic inscriptions.

The two semicircular towers and between them is a setback arch-

way

Section (through the passage way) -WestSource: Behrens-Abouseif’s book : Islamic architecture in cairo(1)

The gabled roof ontop of Bab zuwayla

A B C

J

Description & Decorations

Muqarnasat on El muayad mosque’s minaret

The wooden door which encloses the city through Bab zuwayla

C

The Shallow dome in the pas-saage way

D

Section (through the passage way) -East

D

E

Circular stones , which are actually the ends of columns

E FF

G

H

I

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A corinthian column Inside the north entrance of Bab zuwayla

Inside the two carved arches there is a tri-lobed curve and the upper part is treated

like a shell

Inside the vestibule to the right, coming from the south, there is a half domed re-

cess with two carved arches at the corners

Islamic calligraphy on Bab zuwayla

Bab zuwayla was also used as a place for public executions in

Fatimid Cairo`

Description & Decorations

G H I

J

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Movement

There is a path through the gate to the other side of

the street connecting the inside of the fatimid cairo

to the outside , passing by a domed squared space

and a space with no roof that represents the transi-

tion space between outside of the fatimid city and

inside . To enter Bab zuwayla you climb a few steps

on one of the towers , then there is a space where

there is mashrabeya windows and there is visual

connection through it to El Muizz street. The mina-

rets, which can be entered from the mosque, offer

views of both inside and outside the walls.

Bab zuwayla plan showing the movement through the gate and inside the gate and the transition between outside of the city and inside

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Light

When walking through Bab Zuwayla from inside of

the city , a difference in light intensities is noticed

, first there is the domed space which is relatively

the darkest space compared to the other spaces ,

then there is the space where the door exists and

it’s more lightened than the previous space . And by

getting out , between the two semicircular towers is

the most lightened space in the passage as there is

no roof above it .

Bab zuwayla section through the passage showing the light intensities through the gate and the transition between outside of the city and inside

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14

BAB AL FUTUH

Bab al-Futuh the northern gate was Built on 1092.

The fortifications of the northern Fatimid city run along the north-

ern side of the Mosque of al-Hakim.

They were ordered by the Armenian dictator Badr al-Gamali al-Guy-

ushi to replace the original sun-dried brick wall of Gawhar, and

are the work of Armenian architects and masons brought in from

northern Mesopotamia.

Bab al-Futuh ('gate of conquests') is at the northern terminus of the

street that starts at Bab Zuwayla.

BAB Al FUTUH15

Urban surrounding

Site plan of Bab Al Futuh

El Hakim mosque Abo el khair El kolaybati

The gate is connected to el Hakim Mosque . A gate is never con-sidered a free standing building. When it was built the magnificent stone walls encloused Al Hakim’s structure within them . Today the area around the gate, it’s in Al gamaleya , lies on the north of el Muizz street.The gate is surrounded by Important mosques and buildings such as El Hakim mosque and Abo el khayr el koulaybati .

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Abo El Khair El Kolaybati

El Hakim Mosque

Entrance situation

Unlike Bab zuwayla , when coming to the northern

end of el Muizz street far away there is no indication

of the gate’s place , by getting closer , a larger part

of the gate appears.

The street passes through the gate and there is an

entrance on the south of the gate , through the

stairs which are connected to the mosque of Al

Hakim.

Bab Al Futuh plan showing the entrance situation through the gate

Exit

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EL MUIZZ STREET

OUTSIDE THE FATIMID CAIRO

Description & Decorations Bab Al Futuh consists of two semicircular towers, solid for two thirds of their height , and between them there is an arch way which is set back.The towers are not divided into storeys from outside.The whole measures are 22.85 m in width, 25.22 m. in depth and 22.33 m in height (from the original ground level to the top of the crenellations).We observed on the sixth course from ground level of masonry a row of stone circles on the front and sides of the towers, those stone circles are actually the ends of columns that were used to bond the outer, dressed exterior face with the core of the interior.

The lower part of each tower is decorated with three arched panels (one on each side and one in font), the one in front is higher than those on the sides. The arched panels on the outer sides and front of each tower are plain and without any molding , but the arched panels on the side of each tower next to the gateway are decorated with an inner ring of cushion voussoirs. The upper part of each tow-er is perfectly plain from the outer side of the city, but for the single arrow slit on the upper part.However, the side facing the city, each semicircular tower contain three arrow slits each with a semicircular arched head and a shal-low recess those slits provide light to the rooms above, the sides next the gateway have two rectangular openings.

North facade

A A

B

C

DE

I

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THE PASSAGE WAY is covered by a tunnel vault slightly stilted in section, and behind it comes the dome resting on spherical triangle pendentives dome of the same curvature as the spheri-cal triangle pendentives on which it rests. At the inner end of the passage way is an arch of twenty-seven voussoirs. THE GATEWAY begins with a setback semicircular arch between the towers , from the outer side of the gate there is carved mo-tifs of pentagrams , stars , crosses and sun flowers all of them in a simple border. The gateway is spanned by two horizontal arches, the lower is formed of twelve voussoirs, each of a key-stone of three blocks , one below and two above . Above this is a much lighter arch, curved below but horizontal above, of eleven voussoirs. Between this arch and the outer splayed arch is a slit enabling the defenders to drop *missiles on those assaulting the gate.

Atop the entrance arch are carved brackets, two of them with a ram’s head. The ram is the sign of the zodiac related to the plan-et Mars, or al-Qahir, the sign in ascendancy when the city was of-ficially founded. Following an ancient oriental tradition, particu-larly in Egypt, the rams’ heads obviously had talismanic meaning.The only Islamic motifs on the walls apart from the Quranic inscriptions are the carved rectangles with an eight-pointed star found between the carved brackets.

Description & Decorations

*missile :An object or weapon that is fired, thrown, dropped, or otherwise projected at a target; a projectile.

Source: Behrens-Abouseif’s book : Islamic architecture in cairo(1)

(1)

Section (through the passage way)

F

G

H

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Description & Decorations

Over the entrance is a splayed arch decorated with dia-

mond-shaped motifs

Carved brackets, two of them with a ram’s head

The two semicircular towers and between them is a setback arch-

wayArrow slits that provide light to

the rooms above.

Overhanging corniche which provided a place through which boiling oil or lime could be poured on the enemy below.

A B C

D E

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Description & Decorations

The gate has frequent curves and arched motifs.

The vestibule is covered with a shallow dome and the transition between the rectangular room and

the spherical dome are formed by pendentives rather than squinches.

Circular stones , which are actu-ally the ends of columns

Dome resting on spherical triangle pendentives in the passage way of Bab el Futuh

F G H

I

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Movement

There is a path through the gate to the other side of

the street connecting the inside of the fatimid cairo

to the outside , passing by a domed squared space

and a space with no roof that represents the transi-

tion space between outside of the fatimid city and

inside. The entrance to Bab Al futuh is by climbing a

staircase beside el hakim mosque .

Bab El futuh plan showing the movement through the gate and inside the gate and the transition between outside of the city and inside

22

Light

When walking through Bab Al futuh from inside of

the city , a difference in light intensities is noticed

, first there is the domed space which is relatively

the darkest space compared to the other spaces ,

then there is the space where the door exists and

it’s more lightened than the previous space . And by

getting out , between the two semicircular towers is

the most lightened space in the passage as there is

no roof above it .

Bab Al futuh section through the passage showing the light intensities through the gate and the transition between outside of the city and inside

23

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CONCLUSION

Point of comparison Bab Zuwayla Bab Al Futuh

1.Urban position Southern gate of Fatimid Cairo Northern gate of Fatimid Cairo

2.Entrance situation Can be seen from far away when coming from El Muizz street.

Can’t be seen from far away.

3.Description A pair of semicircular towers, solid stone for two-thirds of their

height. The inner flanks of the towers near the entrance are

decorated with lobed arches, and there is a passage way between

the two towers.

A pair of semicircular towers, solid stone for two-thirds of their

height. The inner flanks of the towers near the entrance are

decorated with lobed arches, and there is a passage way between

the two towers.

4.Restoration A)In the 1890s the minarets aboveBab zuwayla were restored and rebuilt , and this process was supervised by Herz Pasha. B)Restoration in 2001.

In the begining of the twenty first century Bab el Futuh was re-

stored by the UNESCO.

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(1)

(1) source : www.cairobserver.com

Comparison

By comparing both buildings it was found that they are impressive examples of Islamic military archi-tecture. Many pharaonic temples were destroyed to construct them. (behrens 1993) , but by visiting the gates we didn’t notice those pharaonic inscriptions or motifs. What’s remarkable about both gates is the transition spaces when passing through the gate from inside the city to the outside you feel the transition happening by the change in light and noise intensity by walking through the passage way heading out of the city , light and noise increase . It gets more crowd-ed and there is no roofing system.

Review26

Bab Zuwayla Bab Al Futuh

BIBLIOGRAPHY

-Behrens-Abouseif , 1993 ,Islamic Architecture In Cairo ,The American University in Cairo press.

-Jim Anoniou ,1999, Historic Cairo - A Walk through the Islamic City,The American University in Cairo press.

-Caroline Williams ,2008, Islamic Monuments in Cairo ,The American University in Cairo press.

-Nicholas Warner , 2005 ,Monuments of Historic Cairo,The American University in Cairo press.

-K. A. C. Creswell , 1978 Muslim Architecture of Egypt ,Oxford: Clarendon Press.

-Nezar AlSayyad , 2013, Cairo: Histories of a City , Harvard University press.

-Richard Yeomans , 2006 The Art and Architecture of Islamic Cairo ,Garnet publishing.

-Center of planning and architecture studies,1990,The foundations of architectural design and urban planning in the Middle Ages.

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