Mario Rossi (architect)
Mario Rossi (1897-1961) was an Italian architect and notable contributor to 20th-century Islamic architecture.[1]
Life
Rossi was born in Rome and studied architecture at the Accademia di Belle Arti di Roma, from which he graduated in 1917. He moved to Egypt in 1921 as an assistant decorator, invited by Ernesto Verrucci-Bey who was Chief Court Architect of Sultan (later King) Fuad, in charge of improvements at Abdeen Palace. He then worked for Egyptian Public Works, for Verrucci's successor Moustafa Fahmy, and with Antonio Lasciac on projects that included interior design, mansions, apartment buildings and mausoleums for a wealthy clientele.
In 1929, despite being a Catholic, he won the competition to become the Chief Architect of the
Like thousands of other
He and his wife Rosa had a son, Alessandro.[7]
Works
Rossi's architecture was based on careful study of ancient Islamic buildings in Egypt and beyond, particularly those from the
In Greater Cairo
- Villa Tawfiq, Zamalek (with Ernesto Verrucci-Bey), now Helwan University Faculty of Music[8]
- Two villas for the children of Ahmed Afifi Pasha, Giza, 1920s
- El Gabaleya apartment building, Zamalek
- Gaston Weiser apartment building, Garden City
- Villa Assem, Zamalek
- Votive church of the Syriac Catholic Cemetery, Abbassia
- Villa Hassan Sabry, Zamalek
- Italian World War I Memorial, Latin Cemetery, Abbassia
- Villa George Wissa, Garden City, 1930s
- Al-Tabbakh Mosque, near Mohamed Naguib Metro station, 1929-1933
- Umar Makram Mosque on Tahrir Square, 1948-1954
- Zamalek Mosque, Zamalek, 1953-1955
Elsewhere in Egypt
- Abu al-Abbas al-Mursi Mosque, Alexandria (with Eugenio Valzania), 1929–45
- Islamic Center, Asyut, 1930
- Fouly Mosque, Minya, 1945–46
- Abderrahim al-Qenawi Mosque, Qena, 1949
- Al-Qaed Ibrahim Mosque, Mahatet El Raml, Alexandria, 1948–51
- Muhammad Kurayyim Mosque near Ras El Tin Palace, Alexandria, 1949–53
Outside Egypt
- Washington DC, 1949–57
Influence
Rossi influenced a younger generation of Egyptian architects, such as Ali Thabit and Ali Khayrat who designed the Salah al-Din Mosque in El Manial, Cairo (1959).[9]
His Abu al-Abbas al-Mursi Mosque in Alexandria was a key source of inspiration for the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi, designed by architect Yusef Abdelki and built between 1996 and 2007.[10][11]
References
- ^ Ahmed Mohamed Sedky (1998). The Modern Mosque in Egypt: The Mosques of Mario Rossi for the Awqaf. Cairo: American University in Cairo Press.
- ^ Khalid S. M. Al-Hagla; Marwa N. Charkas (December 2016). "Searching for the Identity in the Mario Rossi's Architecture of Mosques in Alexandria". ResearchGate.
- ^ Ahmed Sidky (July–September 1998), "Mario Rossi's Work in the Awqaf" (PDF), Medina Magazine: 62–69
- ^ Akel Ismail Kahera (January 2005), "A Mosque Between Significance and Style" (PDF), Isim Review, 16 (1): 56–57
- ^ Cristina Pallini (February 2005). "The Revival of Islamic Architecture in Egypt: some notes on the Italian Contribution (1898-1953)". ResearchGate.
- ^ Samir Raafat (28 March 1997). "Italian Cultural Institute in Cairo Celebrates 100th Anniversary of Mario Rossi". egy.com.
- ^ Mariangela Turchiarulo (October 2012). Costruire in "stile". L'architettura italiana ad Alessandria. L'opera di Mario Rossi d'Egitto / Building "in a style". Italian architecture in Alexandria, Egypt. The work of Mario Rossi. Rome: Gangemi Editore.
- ^ Cynthia Myntti (1999). Paris along the Nile: Architecture in Cairo from the Belle Epoque. Cairo: American University of Cairo Press. p. 46.
- ^ Magdy M. Moussa (1990), "Mario Rossi and the Egyptian School of Architecture in Alexandria", Environmental Design: Journal of the Islamic Environmental Design Research Centre, Rome: Carucci Editore: 102–105
- ^ "7 Facts You Must Know About Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque". MSN News. 12 March 2021.
- ^ Vanessa Chiasson (15 November 2019). "8 Of The Most Beautiful Places In Abu Dhabi". Travel Awaits.
External links