Egypt 6: Islamic Cairo - A Renaissance
As awed as I was by the incredible Mosque of Muhammed Ali, today was the day I truly got to experience the Islamic art that permeates the city of Cairo. Despite spending a whole day walking and exploring, I only saw a fraction of what can be found in this wondrous city.
Islamic Cairo is colloquially known as Old Cairo, or Al-Qaheera Ameeda. It is so called because of the concentration of Islamic architecture from various eras that celebrated the faith through the construction of mosques, inns, schools and travel stops. These were concentrated within the old city walls of Cairo, which contained eight gates, of which three are still standing.
The main street that runs through Old Cairo is Sharia el Muizz, which until today, is still one of the longest streets that run through Cairo. To describe everything that I saw in Old Cairo would take a book, but a few highlights deserve to be mentioned.
We had coffee, ahwa mazbuta, at El Fishawi - one of the oldest coffee shops in Khan el Khalili, the center of Old Cairo.
Many poets and politicians found debate and inspiration in this old house - which still provides shisha (flavored tobacco) and watermelon juice to its patrons amid snakelike alleyways and plumes of smoke. The decoration in this place is a prelude to the incredible artistry of Islamic culture yet to be revealed.
Sharia el Muizz still maintains the ramshackle everything-under-the-sun feeling of old -- there are shops that sell everything, including the butcher, the bean/nut/legume shop, the shisha pipe shop, the pot shop, and of course the spice shop.
There are street carts that sell every part of the cow, and open door bakeries whose pretzel-like pastries (that tastes a million times better than any pretzel) are heavenly when fresh from the oven. Donkeys pulling loads of construction materials vie for space with scooters and vans and pedestrians on potholed alleys that barely allow two supermarket carts to brush by each other. At one point I was caught in between a donkey, a van, and a car - and I felt myself overcome with hysterical laughter, because I was shuffling along behind the traffic, as if I was a vehicle instead of a pedestrian.
Along the way on Sharia el Muizz, there are many well-preserved examples of Islamic architecture.
Their styles are clearly different from era to era, but I am still amazed by the level of ignorance I had of how much culture and sophistication were present in the various empires that centered on the faith in Allah and the prophet Muhammed. Between the Fatimid, the Mamluk and the Ottomans, their influences were an integral part of how Cairo, and Egypt, developed.
We passed khuttabs, which were traditionally a watering stop for travelers. It is a demonstration of the Islamic virtue of generosity and courtesy to provide water to someone on a journey, and khuttabs were also good gathering points for news. Most khuttabs also contained a second level where madrassas housed students learning the Koran.
The prosperity of the various empires was possible in large part due to the role trade played in history. Merchants that did well were able to establish lifestyles that were just as grand as some of the mosques that were built. One such rehabilitated house was in an area known as "The Yellow Square", named for the yellowish tint on the flagstones around this area.
This house belonged to a rich merchant, and it is now open to visitors. The decoration was ornate, all the more astounding considering they were all hand made. There was aesthetic alignment of elegance and spaciousness that was not at all threatened by the minute details in the decoration. There was a strong emphasis on light, ventilation, and the proper respect that should be paid to the function of a certain room.
Of course when we were in the harim (where the women would congregate), the visit wouldn't have been complete without me trying to be one of the gals of the time, peering out a window that is meant to preserve my modesty, but still could not contain my curiosity.
Two mosques that we visited on this road were remarkable for their differences, demonstrating the progressive refinement of style in a very artistic society. Mosque Ibn Tulun is at least 1000 years old; like all mosque layouts, the predominant feature is the courtyard where the libation station stands in the middle. Ibn Tulun is also notable for the 400 windows that surround the prayer halls that line the four sides of the courtyard. Each window contains a unique design, each so minutely detailed that you have to wonder at the amount of love and worship that can create such artistry. The same level of commitment is seen in the detail in the numerous arches that surround the courtyard.
The courtyard of Al-Hakam, while also open and spacious with the libation station in the middle, has a completely different character from Ibn Tulun. While Ibn Tulun clearly shows its maturity and the might of an empire that came by its power with force but now tries to commune in peace, Al Hakam demonstrates sophistication, refinement, and a higher level of appreciation for the finer points of Islamic art. Al Hakam's courtyard is paved with marble, the proportionate sizes of arches, columns, walls, libation stations, are all smaller than Ibn Tulun and motifs more delicate, more detailed, more whimsical. It is also clear from Al-Hakam that gold was more easily accessible given the liberal use of it in decorating the mosque.
At the end of Sharia el Muizz, there are another two mosques that face each other, separated by an old street that is closed to traffic. One is the Mosque Al Rifai, the other is the Mosque Sultan Hassan. Walking down that pedestrian street, I was brought back to the Karnak Temple in Luxor. Although these are two different eras, the feeling of being dwarfed by such colossal creations was the same. Rifai was closed for restoration, but Sultan Hassan was open. The sheer size of the grand entrance was intimidating – much more so because there was absolutely no sacrifice of detailed ornamentation despite it being so tall. Note the size of the humans standing at the doorway.
The design of this mosque, like all mosques, emphasized a clean courtyard that provides a peaceful setting for prayer and introspection. What I found most remarkable was the difference in scale.
A grand entrance leads into a narrow portico, overlooked by dark domed ceilings that seemed to reach up to the never-never. Up some stairs that were worn smooth by millions of bare feet, the stairwell reminded me a little of the medieval forts on the French coast. Through a long, narrow and cavernous hallway, out to the most remarkable prayer courtyard I’ve seen so far.
Although the decorative motifs and detailed designs are just as impressive as others, what struck me was the sheer size of the prayer halls. They are not very deep, but are so tall and broad that I was stumped by the engineering skill that went into building this mosque. The courtyard was smaller than other mosques, but the incredible heights of the prayer halls effectively isolated them from the rest of noisy Old Cairo. Perhaps that is the purpose of such design. Simple solitary arches that seem untouchable except by the birds, stand to serve an architectural function more than decorative, in contrast with the other mosques I’ve seen.
Of course there was no sacrifice in decorative detail. Around the four grand prayer halls, there was Koranic script carved by hand into the rock with scrollwork so intricate my camera could not get close enough.
Pieces of stone that were cut precisely into geometric shapes naturally provide a rainbow of color to the grey stone walls.
The woodwork was even more remarkable in the hall that houses the crypt of Sultan Hassan. The domed ceiling in this hall was higher, if that was possible, than the prayer halls outside. It was accentuated with a beehive wood decoration, and being so high, lights were not provided up there, except for some windows that let in rays of sunlight.
That kept the atmosphere somber, reverent, even more so when I saw the three-dimension wood bas-relief carvings of Koranic script that circled the whole hall. With each character about 2 feet high, I was humbled by the sweat, time, faith that were committed to this creation.
Kamal was the best guide to visit these places – being an architecture PhD himself, it was good to have his explanations make sense out of these awesome buildings. He was also keen to show me that Islamic culture is not all that is made out on the media today, and I have a much better appreciation of that now. So far I’ve seen strong emphasis on education, peace, generosity, kindness, practicality, art, refinement, self-introspection, cleanliness, comfort, and most of all, devotion to Allah and the search for ways to better oneself. In between there is also politics, martyrdom, trade, opulence, poverty, ambition, and war. It is multi-faceted, eons old yet ageless. Those that think from reading political commentary and watching CNN that they know all about the reasons people are willingly dying to keep the invaders out of the holy Islamic grounds, should take a seat on the floor of the prayer hall in Sultan Hassan and start all over.
The evening ended on a very yuppy note – we were in Ma’adi and had a light supper at a very hip joint on the Corniche, where I also had my very first taste of shisha. It is smoke from flavored tobacco, burnt by a piece of charcoal. You suck on a long pipe and the smoke passes a chamber of water and cools down before it reaches your mouth. It is a fragrant and fun pastime, but it packs a much smaller wallop than cigarettes. Despite its similarities to a bong pipe, I don’t think those that were looking to get high on this will necessarily be satisfied.
Next: The Pyramids of Giza http://atygerontheloose.blogspot.com/2004/08/egypt-7-al-haram-pyramids-of-giza.html
Islamic Cairo is colloquially known as Old Cairo, or Al-Qaheera Ameeda. It is so called because of the concentration of Islamic architecture from various eras that celebrated the faith through the construction of mosques, inns, schools and travel stops. These were concentrated within the old city walls of Cairo, which contained eight gates, of which three are still standing.
The main street that runs through Old Cairo is Sharia el Muizz, which until today, is still one of the longest streets that run through Cairo. To describe everything that I saw in Old Cairo would take a book, but a few highlights deserve to be mentioned.
We had coffee, ahwa mazbuta, at El Fishawi - one of the oldest coffee shops in Khan el Khalili, the center of Old Cairo.
Many poets and politicians found debate and inspiration in this old house - which still provides shisha (flavored tobacco) and watermelon juice to its patrons amid snakelike alleyways and plumes of smoke. The decoration in this place is a prelude to the incredible artistry of Islamic culture yet to be revealed.
Sharia el Muizz still maintains the ramshackle everything-under-the-sun feeling of old -- there are shops that sell everything, including the butcher, the bean/nut/legume shop, the shisha pipe shop, the pot shop, and of course the spice shop.
There are street carts that sell every part of the cow, and open door bakeries whose pretzel-like pastries (that tastes a million times better than any pretzel) are heavenly when fresh from the oven. Donkeys pulling loads of construction materials vie for space with scooters and vans and pedestrians on potholed alleys that barely allow two supermarket carts to brush by each other. At one point I was caught in between a donkey, a van, and a car - and I felt myself overcome with hysterical laughter, because I was shuffling along behind the traffic, as if I was a vehicle instead of a pedestrian.
Along the way on Sharia el Muizz, there are many well-preserved examples of Islamic architecture.
Their styles are clearly different from era to era, but I am still amazed by the level of ignorance I had of how much culture and sophistication were present in the various empires that centered on the faith in Allah and the prophet Muhammed. Between the Fatimid, the Mamluk and the Ottomans, their influences were an integral part of how Cairo, and Egypt, developed.
We passed khuttabs, which were traditionally a watering stop for travelers. It is a demonstration of the Islamic virtue of generosity and courtesy to provide water to someone on a journey, and khuttabs were also good gathering points for news. Most khuttabs also contained a second level where madrassas housed students learning the Koran.
The prosperity of the various empires was possible in large part due to the role trade played in history. Merchants that did well were able to establish lifestyles that were just as grand as some of the mosques that were built. One such rehabilitated house was in an area known as "The Yellow Square", named for the yellowish tint on the flagstones around this area.
This house belonged to a rich merchant, and it is now open to visitors. The decoration was ornate, all the more astounding considering they were all hand made. There was aesthetic alignment of elegance and spaciousness that was not at all threatened by the minute details in the decoration. There was a strong emphasis on light, ventilation, and the proper respect that should be paid to the function of a certain room.
Of course when we were in the harim (where the women would congregate), the visit wouldn't have been complete without me trying to be one of the gals of the time, peering out a window that is meant to preserve my modesty, but still could not contain my curiosity.
Two mosques that we visited on this road were remarkable for their differences, demonstrating the progressive refinement of style in a very artistic society. Mosque Ibn Tulun is at least 1000 years old; like all mosque layouts, the predominant feature is the courtyard where the libation station stands in the middle. Ibn Tulun is also notable for the 400 windows that surround the prayer halls that line the four sides of the courtyard. Each window contains a unique design, each so minutely detailed that you have to wonder at the amount of love and worship that can create such artistry. The same level of commitment is seen in the detail in the numerous arches that surround the courtyard.
The courtyard of Al-Hakam, while also open and spacious with the libation station in the middle, has a completely different character from Ibn Tulun. While Ibn Tulun clearly shows its maturity and the might of an empire that came by its power with force but now tries to commune in peace, Al Hakam demonstrates sophistication, refinement, and a higher level of appreciation for the finer points of Islamic art. Al Hakam's courtyard is paved with marble, the proportionate sizes of arches, columns, walls, libation stations, are all smaller than Ibn Tulun and motifs more delicate, more detailed, more whimsical. It is also clear from Al-Hakam that gold was more easily accessible given the liberal use of it in decorating the mosque.
At the end of Sharia el Muizz, there are another two mosques that face each other, separated by an old street that is closed to traffic. One is the Mosque Al Rifai, the other is the Mosque Sultan Hassan. Walking down that pedestrian street, I was brought back to the Karnak Temple in Luxor. Although these are two different eras, the feeling of being dwarfed by such colossal creations was the same. Rifai was closed for restoration, but Sultan Hassan was open. The sheer size of the grand entrance was intimidating – much more so because there was absolutely no sacrifice of detailed ornamentation despite it being so tall. Note the size of the humans standing at the doorway.
The design of this mosque, like all mosques, emphasized a clean courtyard that provides a peaceful setting for prayer and introspection. What I found most remarkable was the difference in scale.
A grand entrance leads into a narrow portico, overlooked by dark domed ceilings that seemed to reach up to the never-never. Up some stairs that were worn smooth by millions of bare feet, the stairwell reminded me a little of the medieval forts on the French coast. Through a long, narrow and cavernous hallway, out to the most remarkable prayer courtyard I’ve seen so far.
Although the decorative motifs and detailed designs are just as impressive as others, what struck me was the sheer size of the prayer halls. They are not very deep, but are so tall and broad that I was stumped by the engineering skill that went into building this mosque. The courtyard was smaller than other mosques, but the incredible heights of the prayer halls effectively isolated them from the rest of noisy Old Cairo. Perhaps that is the purpose of such design. Simple solitary arches that seem untouchable except by the birds, stand to serve an architectural function more than decorative, in contrast with the other mosques I’ve seen.
Of course there was no sacrifice in decorative detail. Around the four grand prayer halls, there was Koranic script carved by hand into the rock with scrollwork so intricate my camera could not get close enough.
Pieces of stone that were cut precisely into geometric shapes naturally provide a rainbow of color to the grey stone walls.
The woodwork was even more remarkable in the hall that houses the crypt of Sultan Hassan. The domed ceiling in this hall was higher, if that was possible, than the prayer halls outside. It was accentuated with a beehive wood decoration, and being so high, lights were not provided up there, except for some windows that let in rays of sunlight.
That kept the atmosphere somber, reverent, even more so when I saw the three-dimension wood bas-relief carvings of Koranic script that circled the whole hall. With each character about 2 feet high, I was humbled by the sweat, time, faith that were committed to this creation.
Kamal was the best guide to visit these places – being an architecture PhD himself, it was good to have his explanations make sense out of these awesome buildings. He was also keen to show me that Islamic culture is not all that is made out on the media today, and I have a much better appreciation of that now. So far I’ve seen strong emphasis on education, peace, generosity, kindness, practicality, art, refinement, self-introspection, cleanliness, comfort, and most of all, devotion to Allah and the search for ways to better oneself. In between there is also politics, martyrdom, trade, opulence, poverty, ambition, and war. It is multi-faceted, eons old yet ageless. Those that think from reading political commentary and watching CNN that they know all about the reasons people are willingly dying to keep the invaders out of the holy Islamic grounds, should take a seat on the floor of the prayer hall in Sultan Hassan and start all over.
The evening ended on a very yuppy note – we were in Ma’adi and had a light supper at a very hip joint on the Corniche, where I also had my very first taste of shisha. It is smoke from flavored tobacco, burnt by a piece of charcoal. You suck on a long pipe and the smoke passes a chamber of water and cools down before it reaches your mouth. It is a fragrant and fun pastime, but it packs a much smaller wallop than cigarettes. Despite its similarities to a bong pipe, I don’t think those that were looking to get high on this will necessarily be satisfied.
Next: The Pyramids of Giza http://atygerontheloose.blogspot.com/2004/08/egypt-7-al-haram-pyramids-of-giza.html
posted by tygertyger at 8:35 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home