As Egypt is about to begin the holy month of Ramadan (tomorrow), the nation’s Muslim majority will spend the next four weeks fasting. Fasting during Ramadan is one of the Five Pillars of Islam and requires a complete abstention from all food and water from sunrise to sunset. The Qur’an actually defines the fasting period as the time when a white thread can be differentiated from a black one. Because the Islamic calendar is a lunar calendar, it is ten to twelve days shorter than the Western Gregorian calendar. This means that every year, Ramadan falls ten to twelve days earlier than the previous year; and this year and for the next few years, it is in the summer.
With daytime temperatures well into the upper nineties Fahrenheit (high thirties Celsius), it’s the water more than the food that is the big struggle during fasting. But getting water has always been a focus of survival here in Egypt not just during Ramadan. In the West, finding a water source in all but a few places is taken for granted. But in this harsh region, finding water is not just difficult but critical.
Since the very earliest years of Egyptian history, water i.e. the Nile has been celebrated as the giver of life. Annual celebrations for the inundation of the river continued from the Pharaohnic period until the building of the Aswan dams (plural because smaller dams had been constructed during the late 19th century).
So, while many Egyptians are fasting and depriving themselves of water during the hottest and most difficult hours of the day, it will be on that topic that our first monuments are focused.
Sabil-Kuttab of ‘Abd al-Rahman al Katkhuda 1744 AD / 1157 AH
‘Abd al-Rahman al Katkhuda was an amir (prince/senior officer) during the middle decades of the 18th century. He was particularly famous for his lavish living and his generous patronage of the arts and architecture of Cairo (a surviving mosque of his can be found on the intersection of Qasr al-Nil and Gomhurreya Streets near Opera Square).
A sabil-kuttab was a uniquely Mameluk architectural innovation. It combined a sabil (a public fountain/water source) with a kuttub (a Qur’anic school for young boys or orphans similar to an elementary school).
Sabil (fountain) on the lower level; kuttab (school) on the upper level.
Situated on Al Mu’izz ad-Din Allah Street (the main street of historic Cairo), it is obvious that the builder intended the structure for prominence. In addition, the sabil-kuttab occupies a space that overlooks the Palace Walk (Bayn al-Qasrayn) area which adds to its prominent position.
The structure itself reflects the union of Mamluk and Ottoman architecture. While the configuration of sabil and kuttab is classically Mamluk, the detailing of floral reliefs is more realistic than those in traditionally Mamluk buildings and reflects its Ottoman influence. These “Ottoman influences […] were quite new to Cairo at this time… [and the] floral forms were brought by the Mongols from China, and became particularly popular in Turkish art in the sixteenth and seventeenth century” (Williams 195).
(Above) Notice the floral details under the windows and on the molding under the ceiling. Taken inside the kuttab.
(Below) Again the floral details on the molding around the ceiling, and take notice to the tile work on the walls. Taken inside the sabil.
Although produced in Syria, the tiles covering the first floor walls are reminiscent of Iznik tiles from Turkey and are another Ottoman stylistic influence.
Most interestingly to me was this tiled representation of the Kaba’a in Mecca. I had never seen a tiled representation previously in any monument in Cairo, and have yet to find one since. Perhaps not surprising, the representation is on the eastern wall, matching the qibla (direction of Mecca).
Sources:
Williams, Caroline. Islamic Monuments in Cairo. 6th ed. Cairo: American University in Cairo, 2008. Print. 159.
