BIA

JUIN 2015
After more than a decade of restoration
both monuments have now been reopened to
visitors. Minister of Antiquities Mamdûh al-
Damâtî, Cairo Governor Galâl al-Sa‘îd and Aga
Khan Trust for Culture (AKTC) General Manager
Luis MONREAL were all on hand to cut the
ribbon on Wednesday night as part of the
monuments’ official reopening. Prime Minister
Ibrâhîm Mihlib was scheduled to attend the
event but cancelled at the last minute.
al-Damâtî told attendees that the restoration
projects for both monuments highlighted the
strong and fruitful cooperation between the
ministry and the AKTC. He said the restoration
of the wall sections had cost $8.5 million while
restoration of the dome had cost $6.8 million.
Both projects are part of a much larger
urban regeneration programme undertaken by
the AKTC with the support of the Egyptian
government, the governorate of Cairo, the
Ministry of Antiquities and other partners.
It includes the 30-hectare (74-acre) al-Azhar
Park, a number of restored mosques, schools
and public spaces, training programmes for the
youth of the area, health and education
initiatives and improvements to water and
sanitation.
Deputy Minister of Antiquities for Islamic and
Coptic Monuments Muhammad ‘Abd al-‘Azîz told
the Weekly that restoration work carried out on
the Ayyubid walls included consolidation of the
gates and towers and the replacement of
damaged and missing stone blocks with new
ones. Cleaning work also took place, and salt
that had accumulated on the walls was
removed and a new lighting system installed.
Salâh al-Dîn al-Ayyûbî started the
construction of the walls in 1176 CE. He
wanted to contain the former Fatimid palace
city and its suburbs, the pre-Fatimid city of
Fustât, and the pre-existing fortifications within
a single system. In the centuries that followed,
Cairo’s rapid expansion went well beyond Salâh
al-Dîn’s boundaries, rendering the old walls
obsolete.
In the 15 th century, the eastern part of the
city went into decline, and the Darrâsa area,
where al-Azhar Park is now located, became a
rubbish dump. In the 20 th century, the Ayyubid
walls were largely covered in rubble and lost
several parts of their historic structure.
During excavation and grading works for al-
Azhar Park, a 1.5-km section of the remaining
Ayyubid walls stretching from Bâb al-Wazîr to
al-Azhar Street was restored to international
standards. It now forms the boundary between
the Darb al-Ahmar district and the Park.
‘Abd al-‘Azîz said that Cairo’s Ayyubid walls
were built in Bâb al-Wazîr in the al-Darb al-
Ahmar area by architect Bahâ’ al-Dîn Qarâqush
on the orders of Salâh al-Dîn al-Ayyûbî to
protect Cairo from invasion.
Qarâqush built circular walls around Cairo,
along with the al-Gabal and al-Fustât fortresses.
He constructed several gates in the walls,
among them Bâb al-Bahr, Bâb al-Sha‘riyya and
Bâb al-Mahrûq. Restoration work on the gates
started in 1999.
Just outside the Ayyubid walls on the
southern side of al-Azhar Park stands the
Tarâbây al-Sharîfî Dome, which includes a
mausoleum, gate, sabîl-kuttâb (water fountain)
and madrasa (school). The building is a
beautiful proportioned and exquisitely decorated
structure with a zigzag pattern carved on its
stone dome. It was built in 1505 for Tarâbây
al-Sharîfî, commander of the Mamelukes under
Sultan Qunsuwwa al-Ghûrî. According to ‘Abd
al-‘Azîz, Tarâbây al-Sharîfî was a slave
purchased by the Mameluke Sultan Qâytbây,
who was subsequently freed and appointed
amir, or prince, in the late 15 th century.
Another Mameluke, Azdmar, was also
purchased by Qâytbây and appointed to a
number of governmental positions. He built his
tomb on the northern side of the mausoleum
of Tarâbây, but there is no documentation
regarding the relationship between Tarâbây and
Azdmar to explain why their mausoleums were
constructed in such close proximity.
BIA LI — Janvier/Juin 2015 160