Sultan Zahir Mosque Introduction

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- Sultan Zahir mosque was the first building we se after the Fatimid period and the Aiyubid Period .

 

- This is some important information about it :

 

13- THE MOSQUE OF SULTAN AZ- ZAHIR BAYBARS 665- 67H. (1267- 69) .

BAYBARS  had  been  a  Mamluk  of  the  Amir   'Ala ad- Din Aydakin al- Bunduqdari. He was later transferred to the ownership of al- Malik as- Salih Negm ad- Din, who noticed his sagacity and wit, and set him free. He was promoted to several high government posts, until by treachery and perfidy, he ascended the throne of Egypt in 658H.(1260) , with the title of al- Malik az- Zahir. He was one of the greatest Sultans of the Bahrite Mamluk dynasty. He was successful in his wars against the Crusaders and the Mongols and he brought the rebellious Syrian Princes to submission. After securing several victories and great territorial gains. he died in 676H. (1277). His military campaigns did not deter him from showing interest in architecture, and he left numerous edifices, religious and civil, one of the most important being his great mosque at az- Zahir Square, begun in 665H. (1267) and completed in 667H. (1269).

This mosque is one of the largest in Cairo for it measures 103m. x 106m. Nothing remains of it except the external walls and some of the sanctuary arches, as well as a certain amount of ornament either in stucco or engraved in the stone.

In plan, it is similar to previous mosque. It has an open sahn, surrounded by four riwaqs, the largest being the sancturary. The arches around the sahn and those of the third arcade, in the east riwaq, were supported on rectangular piers; those on which the dome in front of the mihrab once stood are supported on square piers with columns at the corners, and the rest of the arches were supported on marble columns. Its dome was large and covred nine bays, unlike the domes of previous mosques which covered one bay only.

The four façades are built of ashlar, with arched windows in the upper part of the walls, and stepped cresting on top of the parapet. This mosque is remarkable on account of the salients at its four corners and the three entrances projecting from the façades. The largest of these monumental entrances stands in the middle of the west façade, opposite the mihrab. This entrance, as well as the other two in the north and south façades, are decorated with recesses, with arched heads, or niches with stalactite hoods. Most of the elements of the decoration were taken from the façades of the Mosque of al- Aqmar and as- Salih Tala'i', and the entrance of the Salihiya Madrasa.

The minaret once stood in the middle of the west façade, over the main entrance. This mosque, with the exception of a part of the sanctuary, where prayers are held, is now used as a public garden for children.

 

The chosen Buildings

Salam alaikom

i have chosen three mosques to make the desired study on.....

they are

1- Sultan Zaher Mosque  665 Hijre

2- Amir Sorghetmeesh Mosque and Medrasa 757 Hijre

3- Sultan Al-Ghuri ( Ghory) Mosque and Medrasa 909 Hijre


The methodology was to choose

1- same function building-type

2- different era

3- being distributed through the Mamluki era due to the realtionship with the Fatimid , being at the time of the flourish of Mamluki civilization and the last building was preserved from the Mamluki era

soon i will publish their details and some information about these buildings

A Comparetive Study for Three Mamluki Mosques

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as I am interested in Islamic Architecture and especially into Mamluki period...........as i think it is the period which moslims tried to reveal again the true Islamic concepts after the Fatimid period which contained alot of mistaken conecpts from the Shiti thoughts and relegion.

- It is clear that Mamluki period wasn't a perfect period as there is alot of non-pure Islamic concepts which appeared in that period architecure as the mosoleums in mosques which is totaly forbidden in Islam . They tried to atract the Egyptian people by that semi-shiti concepts to redistribute the Sunni thoughts

so, I have decided to make a coparison between three mosques in that period to see how the thoughts where changed and where is the key of that change

i still didnt choose the buildings but i will announce them soon isA

salam alaikom

The specific site by Google Earth

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this is Google Earth generated images for the site

wait a new buildings from Mamluki period soon

Nilometer designer

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after documenting this building................we have come to the end of this building

really very nice trip for me to this place......i have good memories of that site...

some notes i have taken is theere is no awareness about how this Islamic Architecture monument is priceless.............it is a jewel remains from the first Islamic periods

i have captured some photos to the engineer ( or call it architect ) who designed the Nilometer .........these are his photos


his name is Ahmed El Ferghany................



Enjoy it............nice to hear ur comments

The Coloumn Base

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This is the base of the measuring coloumn ................u can see how the section of the building changes due to water motion and dynamics..........the first section shape was a circle to make the water go circularly ...........that will decrease the impact effect on the walls .............

then the section goes to be a square..........which controls the motion and make it stable to be measured.....

this is a very complicated engineering solutions to be done in that periods and prove how genius were those people

Ornaments details

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these also ornaments found in the Nilometer but these are from Otteman period.....................i think it is 1900s but it is also still beautiful and represents nice Islamic concepts

Ornaments details

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this is an ornament in the wall >>>>>>Islamic ornament

hey........technorati is here

Technorati Profile

Interior Details for the Nilometer

alsalam alaikom.................still documenting the Nilometer..............there is a lot of interior shot here.............

this is the coloumn which they measure with......................the coloumn is a greek composite ..........beautiful one.......above it lais the horizontal block of wood which its main job is to remain the coloumn totally vertical .

Back With a new Camera..............Panasonic Lumex LS 70

Alsalam alaikom

finally............i have baught a new camera...............it is not pro. yet............but it does what i want...................and at last it is the photograpgher who take the photo :D

after 3 years of shooting with the none-mechanical shutter Camera  Aiptek DV5700




i have baught a Panasonic Lumex Ls70 ............

i really loved my Aiptek and also i love this panasonic.......................hope it will do well with me...........and wait a surprise soon isA

Back Soon isA...........with a new Camera :D

alsalam alaikom

sorry for not applying new posts for a while as i have exams :D and i am too busy this days....................

isA i will finish next week on tuesday......i miss my blog too much :D

i am going to buy a new digital camera too...............hope i will find good cams - professional ones - in good prices.....

C U Sooooooooooon isA

salam alaikom

A panoramic Interior

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this is the interior of the nilometer ............

Important Notes

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some notes on the nilometer and its construction


1- this is the oldest original Islamic monument in Egypt...........even Amr Ibn-El-AAS mosque is older than this.........but the original mosque doesnt exist now..........

2- the nilometer was maintained during Ibn TULUN period and in Suotan Qaitbay period and along the time it was maintained regularly................so.........the main building is original from the Abbasid period but maintained along the time......................the last maintainence was during the Ottomans and they added a new Dome  as it is clearly Ottoman Dome pencil-like .

3- the coloumn of the measurment went down by 6 cm (2.5 in) in the 1900s and it was maintained

4- the coloumn is based on wood which is called Gemmeez wood.........i dont know its name in English but it is so called in Arabic......Gemmeeez................it isnt affected by water...............nice brains really :D............i like these open - minded people.................greetings to El-ferghany .................the muslim architect which built this .

Nilometer old picture

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this is an old shot was taken while the nilometer was working.........


notice again this pointed arch.......................study its proportions well

Nilometer old painting

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this is the nilometer of rawda .................we can see how water was measured

nice painting.....................plz.............notice that pointed arch .....
we will talk about it later isA ( if ALLAH wish )

Plan & Section of the Nilometer

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this is the plan of the nilometer................u can easily find that is squared ...............it is circular at the botton to be more convinient with water movement

the section view illustrates the three levels of the nilometer :

1- the people level
2- the man who take the readings level
3- the bottom level


we can give the second levels several horizontal levels as the water go up and down and it is clear that the stairs are the only circulation unit

Nilometer of Rowda in Cairo

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this is what we call Mekyas el neel


Nilometer is the name given to one of several devices that are different in design but that all serve the same function: measuring water levels in the River Nile and thus allowing the keeping of comparative historic records.

Every summer, torrential rains in the highlands of Ethiopia cause a drastic increase in the volume of water flowing into the Nile from its tributaries. Between June and September, the reaches of the Nile running through Egypt would burst their banks and cover the adjacent flood plain. When the waters receded, around September or October, they left behind a rich alluvial deposit of exceptionally fertile black silt over the croplands. The inundation – akhet in the Egyptian language – was one of the three seasons into which the Ancient Egyptians divided their years. (See Season of the Inundation.)
Rodah Nilometer, Cairo. David Roberts, 1840s lithograph

It would be difficult to overstate the importance of the annual flood to Egyptian civilization. A moderate inundation was a vital part of the agricultural cycle; however, a lighter monsoon than normal would cause famine, and too much flood water would be equally disastrous, washing away much of the infrastructure built on the flood plain. Records from Pharaonic times indicate that on average, one year of out every five saw an inundation that was either over-abundant or fell short of expectations.

The ability to predict the volume of the coming inundation was part of the mystique of the Ancient Egyptian priesthood. The same skill also played a political and administrative role, since the quality of the year's flood was used to determine the levels of tax to be paid, in kind, by the peasantry to their rulers. This is where the nilometer came into play, with priests monitoring the day-to-day level of the river and announcing the awaited arrival of the summer flood.

The simplest nilometer design is a vertical column submerged in the waters of the river, with marked intervals indicating the depth of the water. One that follows this simple design, albeit housed in an elaborate and ornate stone structure, can still be seen on the island of Rodah in central Cairo. While this nilometer dates only as far back as 861 AD, when the Abbasid caliph al-Mutawakkil ordered its construction, it was built on a site occupied by an earlier specimen.
Nilometer on Elephantine Island

The second nilometer design comprises a flight of stairs leading down into the water, with depth markings along the walls. The best known example of this kind can be seen on the island of Elephantine in Aswan. This location was also particularly important, since for much of Egyptian history Elephantine marked Egypt's southern border and was therefore the first place where the onset of the annual flood was detected.

The most elaborate design involved a channel or culvert that led from the riverbank – often running for a considerable distance – and then fed a well, tank, or cistern. These nilometer wells were most frequently located within the confines of temples, where only the priests and rulers were allowed access. A particularly fine example, with a deep, cylindrical well and a culvert opening in the surrounding wall, can be seen at the Temple of Kom Ombo to the north of Aswan.

While nilometers originated in Pharaonic times, they continued to be used by the later civilizations that held sway in Egypt. In the 20th century, the Nile's annual inundation was first greatly checked, and then eliminated entirely, with the construction of the Aswan dams. While the Aswan High Dam's impact on Egypt and its agriculture has been controversial for other, more complex reasons, it has also had the additional effect of rendering the nilometer obsolete.

The whole region

The lantern from the minaret :D

this is the lantern from the minaret.............................nice shot