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Gates of Cairo

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Bab al-Futuh, one of the two preserved Fatimid gates in the northern city walls, dated to 1087

The historic city of Cairo, Egypt, had many gates in its history as its city walls were built, rebuilt, and expanded in different periods. Only three gates are fully-preserved today, all dating from the late 11th century in the Fatimid period: Bab al-Nasr, Bab al-Futuh, and Bab Zuwayla. Some other gates have been partially recovered through archeological excavations, such as Bab al-Barqiyya.

Historical background

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A plan of Fatimid Cairo as reconstructed by Stanley Lane-Poole, showing the city wall and the known gates
Further information: Islamic Cairo

Fatimid walls

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Cairo was founded as a palace-city in 969 by the Fatimid Caliphate. Jawhar al-Siqilli, the Fatimid general who led the conquest of Egypt, oversaw the construction of the city's original walls, which were built of mudbrick.[1][2] According to later medieval sources, these first city walls, which had a roughly rectangular outline, had eight gates. On the north side were two gates named Bāb al-Futūḥ ("Gate of Conquests") and Bāb al-Naṣr ("Gate of Victory"); on the east side were Bāb al-Barqiyya ("Gate of the Barqa regiment") and Bāb al-Qarrātīn ("Gate of the clover merchants"); to the south were Bāb Zuwayla ("Gate of the Zuwayla") and Bāb al-Faraj ("Gate of Joy"); and on the west side were Bāb al-Qanṭara ("Gate of the bridge [over the Khalij canal]") and Bāb al-Sa'ada ("Gate of Felicity").[3]: 37 [4]: 241 

Later, during the late 11th century, the Fatimid vizier Badr al-Jamali ordered a reconstruction of the walls primarily out of stone and further outward than before to expand the space within Cairo's walls.[1] Construction began in 1087.[5] Although it was previously thought that the entirety of Badr al-Jamali's walls were built in stone, more recent archeological findings have confirmed that at least part of the eastern wall was built out of mudbrick, while the gates were built in stone.[6] The gates of the new walls retained generally the same names and were located in the same areas as the old walls.[4]: 245 

Ayyubid walls

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Salah ad-Din, the founder of the Ayyubid dynasty, restored and/or reconstructed the Fatimid walls and gates in 1170[5] or 1171.[2] He reconstructed parts of the Fatimid walls, including the eastern wall.[5] In 1176, he then began embarked on a project to radically expand the city's fortifications. This project included the construction of the Citadel of Cairo and of a 20 kilometer-long wall to connect and protect both Cairo (referring to the former royal city of the Fatimids) and Fustat (the main city and earlier capital of Egypt a short distance to the southwest). The entirety of the envisioned course of the wall was never quite completed, but long stretches of the wall were built, including the section to the north of the Citadel and a section near Fustat in south. Work continued under subsequent Ayyubid sultans.[3]: 90–91 [7]

The new Ayyubid extensions also added several new gates, of which eight have been identified.[3]: 96  The northern extension of the wall, running west from Bab al-Futuh, added two new gates in this area: Bāb al-Sharī'ah ("Gate of the Law [Sharia]"), located close to the Fatimid walls, and Bāb al-Baḥr ("Gate of the Sea/Water"), located further west and close to the Nile River. The eastern walls near Cairo (north of the Citadel) included, from north to south: Bāb al-Jadīd ("New Gate"), Bāb al-Barqiyya, and Bāb al-Mahrūq ("Burned Gate"). The new section of walls near Fustat (south of the Citadel) included, from north to south: Bāb al-Qarāfa ("Gate of the Cemetery [al-Qarafa]") and Bāb al-Safā.[3]: 87, 96 

Preserved gates

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Many gates existed along the walls of Fatimid Cairo, but only three remain today: Bab al-Nasr, Bab al-Futuh, and Bab Zuwayla (with "Bab" translating to "gate").[8][9] These gates are among the most important masterpieces of historic military architecture in the Islamic world.[4]: 245 [10]: 68 A restoration project from 2001 to 2003 successfully restored the three gates and parts of the northern wall between Bab al-Nasr and Bab al-Futuh.[11] During the Fatimid period there were many gardens along the walls. A chain of gardens ran past Bab al-Nasr and the garden of al-Mukhtar al-Saqlabi existed outside Bab al-Futuh.[12]

Bab al-Futuh and Bab al-Nasr (northern gates)

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Main articles: Bab al-Futuh and Bab al-Nasr (Cairo)
Bab al-Nasr, one of the northern city gates in the Fatimid walls, dated to 1087

Bab al-Nasr and Bab al-Futuh are both are on the northern section of the wall, about two hundred yards from each other.[9] Bab al-Nasr, which translates to "the Gate of Victory," was originally called Bab al-Izz, meaning "the Gate of Glory," when constructed by Gawhar al-Siqilli. It was reconstructed by Badr al-Gamali between 1087 and 1092 about two hundred meters from the original site and was given its new name.[8][11] Similarly, Bab al-Futuh was originally called Bab al-Iqbal, or "the Gate of Prosperity," and was later renamed Bab al-Futuh by Badr al-Gamali.[11] Bab al-Nasr is flanked by two towers of square shape, with shield insignias carved into the stone, while Bab al-Futuh is flanked by round towers.[11] The vaulted stone ceilings inside Bab al-Nasr are innovative in design, with the helicoidal vaults being the first of their kind in this architectural context.[8] The façade of Bab al-Nasr has a frieze containing Kufic inscriptions in white marble, including a foundation inscription and the Shi'a version of the Shahada which was representative of the Fatimid caliphate's religious beliefs.[9][11][13] Bab al-Futuh features no inscriptions on the gate itself,[9] but an inscription can be seen nearby to the east, on the wall salient around the northern minaret of the al-Hakim Mosque.[14]: 245  Inside Bab al-Futuh, through its eastern flanking doorway, is the tomb of an unidentified figure, and through its western flanking doorway is a long vaulted chamber.[11]

Bab Zuwayla (southern gate)

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Main article: Bab Zuweila
Bab Zuwayla, the southern gate of the Fatimid walls

The third surviving gate, Bab Zuwayla, sits in the southern section of the wall.[11] Badr al-Gamali rebuilt the original Bab Zuwayla further south than Gawhar al-Siqilli's original gate.[9] A neighboring mosque, the mosque of al-Mu'ayyad Shaykh, has two minarets that sit on top of the two towers that flank the Bab Zuwayla.[11] Similar to Bab al-Nasr and Bab al-Futuh, Bab Zuwayla was also adjacent to gardens, namely the gardens of Qanṭara al-Kharq.[12]

Eastern gates

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Main article: Bab al-Barqiyya
Bab al-Barqiyya (possibly the historic Bab al-Jadid), an Ayyubid gate rediscovered during excavations in 1998

One of the eastern gates of the city, part of the Ayyubid reconstruction of the walls, was also uncovered in 1998 and subsequently studied and restored. It has a complex defensive layout including a bent entrance and a bridge over a moat or ditch.[15] Initially identified as Bab al-Barqiyya,[15] it is possible that it was actually known as Bab al-Jadid ("New Gate"), one of the three eastern gates mentioned by al-Maqrizi. If so, then the name Bab al-Barqiyya most likely corresponded to another gate a short distance to the northeast.[16] The latter gate, originally discovered in the 1950s,[17] dates from Badr al-Gamali's time and, according to an inscription, was also called Bab al-Tawfiq ("Gate of Success"). It would have replaced the earlier 10th-century Fatimid gate in this area. Archeologists discovered a number of ancient stones with Pharaonic inscriptions that were re-used in the gate's construction.[18][19][14]: 99  It was likely replaced by an Ayyubid-era gate built in front of it, but as of 2008 this had not yet been excavated.[19] Another gate further north, near the northeast corner of the walls, was known as Bab al-Jadid up to the present day and thus possibly contributed to confusion over the identification of the Ayyubid gate uncovered in 1998, with which it shares a similar layout.[16]

References

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  1. ^ a b Warner, Nicholas (2005). The monuments of historic Cairo : a map and descriptive catalogue. The American University in Cairo Press. ISBN 977-424-841-4. OCLC 929659618.
  2. ^ a b Pradines, Stephane (2002). "La muraille ayyoubide du Caire : les fouilles archéologiques de Bâb al-Barqiyya à Bâb al-Mahrûq". Annales Islamologiques. 36. Cairo: Institut français d'archéologie orientale (IFAO): 288.
  3. ^ a b c d Raymond, André (2000) [1993]. Cairo. Translated by Wood, Willard. Harvard University Press. ISBN 978-0-674-00316-3.
  4. ^ a b c Bloom, Jonathan M. (2000). "Walled cities in Islamic North Africa and Egypt with particular reference to the Fatamids (909–1171)". In Tracy, James D. (ed.). City Walls: The Urban Enceinte in Global Perspective. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-65221-6.
  5. ^ a b c Warner, Nicholas (1999). "The Fatimid and Ayyubid Eastern Walls of Cairo: missing fragments". Annales islamologiques. 33: 283–296.
  6. ^ Pradines, Stephane (2008). "Bab al-Tawfiq: une porte du Caire fatimide oubliée par l'histoire". Le Muséon. 121 (1–2): 143–170.
  7. ^ Kay, H. C. (1882). "Al Kāhirah and Its Gates". Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland. 14 (3): 229–245. doi:10.1017/S0035869X00018232. ISSN 0035-869X. JSTOR 25196925. S2CID 164159559.
  8. ^ a b c Salcedo-Galera, Macarena; García-Baño, Ricardo (2022-09-01). "Stonecutting and Early Stereotomy in the Fatimid Walls of Cairo". Nexus Network Journal. 24 (3): 657–672. doi:10.1007/s00004-022-00611-1. hdl:10317/12232. ISSN 1522-4600.
  9. ^ a b c d e Kay, H. C. (1882). "Al Kāhirah and Its Gates". Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland. 14 (3): 229–245. doi:10.1017/S0035869X00018232. ISSN 0035-869X. JSTOR 25196925. S2CID 164159559.
  10. ^ Behrens-Abouseif, Doris (1989). Islamic Architecture in Cairo: An Introduction. Leiden, the Netherlands: E.J. Brill. ISBN 9789004096264.
  11. ^ a b c d e f g h Warner, Nicholas (2005). The monuments of historic Cairo : a map and descriptive catalogue. The American University in Cairo Press. ISBN 977-424-841-4. OCLC 929659618.
  12. ^ a b Pradines, Stephane; Khan, Sher Rahmat (October 2016). "Fāṭimid gardens: archaeological and historical perspectives". Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies. 79 (3): 473–502. doi:10.1017/S0041977X16000586. ISSN 0041-977X.
  13. ^ Shalem, Avinoam (1996). "A Note on the Shield-Shaped Ornamental Bosses on the Façade of Bāb al-Nasr in Cairo". Ars Orientalis. 26: 55–64. ISSN 0571-1371. JSTOR 4629499.
  14. ^ a b Williams, Caroline (2018). Islamic Monuments in Cairo: The Practical Guide (7th ed.). Cairo: The American University in Cairo Press.
  15. ^ a b Pradines, Stephane (2002). "La muraille ayyoubide du Caire : les fouilles archéologiques de Bâb al-Barqiyya à Bâb al-Mahrûq". Annales Islamologiques. 36. Cairo: Institut français d'archéologie orientale (IFAO): 288.
  16. ^ a b Pradines, Stephane (2008). "Bab al-Tawfiq: une porte du Caire fatimide oubliée par l'histoire". Le Muséon. 121 (1–2): 143–170.
  17. ^ Warner, Nicholas (1999). "The Fatimid and Ayyubid Eastern Walls of Cairo: missing fragments". Annales islamologiques. 33: 283–296.
  18. ^ Régen, Isabelle; Postel, Lilian (2005). "Annales héliopolitaines et fragments de Sésostris I réemployés dans la porte de Bâb al-Tawfiq au Caire". Bulletin de l'Institut français d'archéologie orientale (IFAO). 105: 229–293.
  19. ^ a b Pradines, Stephane (2008). "Bab al-Tawfiq: une porte du Caire fatimide oubliée par l'histoire". Le Muséon. 121 (1–2): 143–170.
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