Mosque of Amir al-Maridani
Mosque of Amir Altinbugha al-Mardani | |
---|---|
Religion | |
Affiliation | Islam |
Location | |
Location | Al-Darb al-Ahmar, Cairo, Egypt |
Geographic coordinates | 30°02′23″N 31°15′33″E / 30.03974°N 31.25922°E |
Architecture | |
Type | Mosque |
Style | Mamluk |
Founder | Altinbugha al-Maridani |
Groundbreaking | 1338–9 |
Completed | 1340 |
Specifications | |
Dome(s) | 1 |
Minaret(s) | 1 |
The Mosque of Amir Altinbugha al-Maridani, dating from 1340 CE, is a
History
Background: Altinbugha al-Maridani
Al-Maridani first rose to prominence as the cupbearer of Sultan
Construction
The site chosen for the mosque is in an area that was originally a cemetery outside Cairo and is now known as al-Darb al-Ahmar. By al-Maridani's time, it had begun to urbanize and people had built houses in the area. In the 14th century, the main street here turned into a ceremonial road between the city of Cairo and the royal Citadel to the south.[5] In 738 AH (1337–1338 CE), al-Maridani purchased the houses on the site of his future mosque at half value and demolished them to make way for construction.[5]
The construction dates of the mosque are recorded in three inscriptions found in the building. An inscription on the west entrance of the mosque dates its foundation to 739 AH (1338–1339 CE), while two inscriptions on the northern entrance and another on the minaret state show that the mosque was completed in the month of Ramadan in 740 AH (1340 CE).[4] Al-Maridani, who was severely ill during this time, was motivated to donate considerable funds for the construction. Al-Nasir Muhammad further favoured his son-in-law by lending him his master builder (al-mu'allim), al-Suyufi, for the project. He also contributed wood and marble for construction.[4] According to 14th-century writer al-Maqrizi, the construction cost around 300,000 dirhams, not counting the donations made by the sultan.[5]
Restorations
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b5/Maridani_after_restoration.jpg/220px-Maridani_after_restoration.jpg)
The mosque was restored by the Comité de Conservation des Monuments de l'Art Arabe in 1895–1903.[6] Since then, however, it suffered from neglect and progressive deterioration. Along with the usual accumulation of dust and grime from the desert environment of Cairo and urban pollution, the mosque suffered from humidity and water damage due to the rising water table and leaking sewage from the surrounding neighborhood.[7][8][9][dead link] The prayer hall (or sanctuary) was in particularly bad condition. Cracks appeared in the walls and the marble panel decoration was made particularly vulnerable. Between 2007 and 2010, the wooden insets that make up the ornament of the minbar were looted.[6]
A major restoration and rehabilitation project was begun in 2018 by the Egyptian government in collaboration with the Aga Khan Cultural Services-Egypt (part of the
Architecture
Layout
The Mosque of Amir al-Maridani is built with both hypostyle and riwaq plans, similar to the sultan's mosque in the Citadel, with a dome above the mihrab and three axial entrances. The mosque is not rectangular, however, because of the constraints of urban construction.[15] Specifically, the northeastern corner was built so that it would not encroach upon Tabanna Street nor a neighboring small lane.[16] It is not, however, as irregular as some mosques in urban Cairo, such as Ulmas' Mosque.[4]
Exterior
The exterior Amir al-Maridani's mosque is typical for an urban Mamluk mosque, characterized by "recesses crowned with
The façade of the main wall, which corresponds to the interior mihrab wall, is panelled with recessed windows. The lower windows are rectangular while the upper are double arched with single arched qamariyyas, multicolored stained glass windows, mirroring them on the interior. The northern, eastern and part of the southern facades are the only ones with these windows, as they would have lined the busiest streets and as such been the most visible walls. The remaining wall sections, around the west and south entrances, are plain and windowless.[15] The main wall is buttressed by the mihrab, as it protrudes slightly into an otherwise thin outer wall.[15]
The minaret
![The minaret of the Mosque of al-Maridani](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b3/AlMaridiniMinaret.jpg/170px-AlMaridiniMinaret.jpg)
Located just to the left of the main entrance, the minaret is the earliest known example of entirely octagonal shaft.[15] It is also the earliest minaret crowned with a top that is not the mabkhara type. Instead, the pear-shaped bulb sits on top of the eight-columned pavilion crowned with muqarnas; it is replicated on the interior wooden pulpit.[15] On the wall beneath the minaret, the golden band that runs from the main entrance along the entire facade breaks, and the corner nearest the mosque is missing its colonettes. The buttress of the minaret is also built with different stone than the rest of the mosque, indicating that this section of the wall was rebuilt.[1]
Interior
As is the case with many Mamluk era hypostyle mosques, the Mosque of Amir al-Maridani is supported by columns from earlier buildings. In this case, the granite columns were taken from the
Courtyard
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/96/%D9%85%D8%B3%D8%AC%D8%AF_%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B7%D9%86%D8%A8%D8%BA%D8%A7_%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%85%D8%A7%D8%B1%D8%AF%D8%A7%D9%86%D9%8A.jpg/220px-%D9%85%D8%B3%D8%AC%D8%AF_%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B7%D9%86%D8%A8%D8%BA%D8%A7_%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%85%D8%A7%D8%B1%D8%AF%D8%A7%D9%86%D9%8A.jpg)
The facade of the
The courtyard area is separated from the prayer hall with a
Prayer hall
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a2/Cairo_al-Maridani_5.jpg/220px-Cairo_al-Maridani_5.jpg)
The prayer hall is richly decorated, though the historic decoration suffered during the mosque's deterioration in modern times.
The dome, over the mihrab area, is slightly smaller than the dome of the
- Prayer hall
-
Prayer hall of the mosque, with minbar visible (left)
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The mosque's mihrab
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The dome in front of the mihrab
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Marble decoration in the prayer hall, including a panel ofsquare Kuficabove the door in the middle. (2015 photo, prior to recent restoration)
-
One of the re-used ancient columns and capitals in the mosque
Sources of information
One of the only historical sources of information about the Mosque of Amir al-Maridani is the Cairene historian al-Maqrizi. In his two volume work Mawaiz wa al-'i'tibar bi dhikr al-khitat wa al-'athar (al-Khitat), Maqrizi describes the physical layout of medieval Cairo in exact detail, including buildings' construction histories and their connections to greater Cairene society. It remains the most useful source of information on buildings and their significance in medieval Cairo.[18] However, he does not provide much background for the Mosque of Amir al-Maridani: he only shares how the site was acquired, some brief summarizing details about the mosque's construction, and Amir al-Maridani's later life history.[19]
Architectural commonalities
![]() | This section may require cleanup to meet Wikipedia's quality standards. The specific problem is: This list reads like trivia; please integrate relevant elements into the architecture section instead. (January 2024) |
- A similar riwaq plan is found in the mosques of Amir Husayn, Bashtak, Ulmas, Sitt Miska/Hadaq, Aqsunqur, Qawsun, and Arghun Shah al-Isma'ili.[20]
- The top of the minaret is similar to the top of the minaret at the Mosque of Bashtak.[21]
- A wooden dome over a mihrab is also found at the mosques of al-Zahir Baybars and al-Nasir Muhammad. Smaller wooden domes are above the mihrab area at the mosques of Zayn al-Din Yahya in Bulaq and Habbaniyya.[22]
- The Mosque of Sitt Hadaq also has recessed panels with windows appearing on only three of the four facades.[23]
- A pattern of three axial entrance is also found at the mosques of al-Zahir Baybars and al-Nasir Muhammad.[24]
- Decorative tile usage is also found at the Mosque of al-Nasir Muhammad.[25]
- Marble dados were also found in the sanctuaries of the mosques of al-Nasir Muhammad and al-Mu'ayyad.[26]
- A similar mashrabiyya is found at Qalawun's mausoleum.[27]
See also
References
Citations
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Behrens-Abouseif 1989, pp. 113–115.
- ^ a b Behrens-Abouseif 2007, pp. 183–185.
- ISBN 9789774167324.
- ^ a b c d e Behrens-Abouseif 2007, p. 183.
- ^ ISSN 0732-2992.
- ^ a b Williams, Caroline (2018). Islamic Monuments in Cairo: The Practical Guide (7th ed.). Cairo: American University of Cairo Press. pp. 113–116.
- ^ a b "Minister: Restoration of al-Maridany Mosque costs LE 30M". EgyptToday. 28 October 2018. Retrieved 2019-05-23.
- ^ "Egyptian mosque restoration breathes new life into Cairo's old city". www.efe.com. Retrieved 2019-05-23.
- ^ "Restoring Mameluke heritage". Al Ahram Weekly. Retrieved 2019-05-23.
- ^ "Restoring Mameluke heritage". Aga Khan Development Network. 14 November 2018. Retrieved 2024-06-21.
- ^ a b El-Aref, Nevine (6 October 2021). "Al-Tunbagha Al-Maridani Mosque restored". Ahram Online. Retrieved 24 January 2024.
- ^ Samir, Nehal (2021-10-15). "EU ambassadors visit Al-Maridani Mosque after 1st restoration phase". Daily News Egypt. Retrieved 2024-01-25.
- ^ a b El-Aref, Nevine (4 Jun 2024). "Al-Tunbugha Al-Maridani Mosque reopens". al-Ahram Online. Retrieved 21 June 2024.
- ^ "Egypt unveils renovation of 14th-century Maridani mosque". Reuters. 29 May 2024. Retrieved 21 June 2024.
- ^ a b c d e f g Behrens-Abouseif 2007, p. 184.
- ^ Denoix, Sylvie. "History and Urban Forms: A Methodological Approach." Environmental Design: Journal of the Islamic Environmental Design Research Centre 1-2 (1993): 70-81.
- ^ a b c d e f Behrens-Abouseif 2007, p. 185.
- ^ Sabri Jarrar, "Al-Maqrizi's Reinvention of Egyption Historiography," ""The Cairo Heritage,"" ed. Doris Behrens-Abouseif, New York: American University in Cairo Press, 30-53.
- ^ Al-Maqrizi. Mosque of Amir al-Maridani. Trans. Martyn Smith. <http://maqrizi.com/mosque_pages/m_al-Maridani.html[permanent dead link]>. Pub 2009. Retrieved 4 March 2011.
- ^ Behrens-Abouseif 2007, p. 73.
- ^ Behrens-Abouseif 2007, p. 79.
- ^ Behrens-Abouseif 2007, p. 82.
- ^ Behrens-Abouseif 2007, p. 84.
- ^ Behrens-Abouseif 2007, p. 86.
- ^ Behrens-Abouseif 2007, p. 90.
- ^ Behrens-Abouseif 2007, p. 91.
- ^ Behrens-Abouseif 2007, p. 96.
Bibliography
- Behrens-Abouseif, Doris (1989). Islamic Architecture in Cairo: An Introduction. Leiden, the Netherlands: E.J. Brill. ISBN 9789004096264.
- Behrens-Abouseif, Doris (2007). Cairo of the Mamluks: A History of Architecture and its Culture. The American University in Cairo Press. ISBN 9789774160776.
Further reading
- Isaac Bakhoum, Diana (2016). "The Foundation of a Tabrizi Workshop in Cairo: A Case Study of Its Influence on the Mosque of Emir Altunbugha Al-Maridani". Muqarnas Online. 33 (1): 17–32. .
External links
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