Em Hotep! » Islamic Egypt

Shemsu’s Interview with Zahi Hawass

Shemsu Sesen — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 17:42:11 +0000

My interview with Zahi Hawass has been posted to Heritage Key!

Dr. Hawass’ plans for the near future.. Additional sites about to open to the public.. The secrets of the Great Pyramid.. Repatriation of stolen artifacts..

Read it here: Exclusive Interview with Dr. Zahi Hawass in Indianapolis

Photograph “Zahi_Hawass.jpg” is provided courtesy of Wikimedia Commons and is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike 3.0 License. In short: you are free to share and make derivative works of the file under the conditions that you appropriately attribute it, and that you distribute it only under a license identical to this one. Official license

The Unknown Soldier Memorial

Shemsu Sesen — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 19:10:17 +0000

Originally commissioned by President Anwar Sadat to memorialize the soldiers who died in the October 1973 War, the President himself would die within sight of the memorial, which would become his final resting place.

This modern-day pyramid symbolizes the eternal spirit of the Egyptian people and their long, complex history.

The Unknown Soldier Memorial is a monument built to honor the Egyptian soldiers who fell in the October War of 1973, also called the Yom Kippur War. The monument takes the form of a stylized pyramid with a symbolic tomb located in the center of the base.

The Unknown Soldier Memorial (Photo by Keith Payne)

The memorial was designed by Cairo artist Sami Rafi, who earned a PhD in set design in Vienna, served as manager of the set department for the Cairo Opera House, and later as a professor for the Faculty of Fine Arts. He won a design competition held by President Anwar Sadat when he commissioned the monument in 1974. The memorial was inaugurated in 1975.

The inscriptions list 71 common Egyptian names, the Egyptian Everyman (Photo by Keith Payne)

The memorial is made of carved concrete, and stands 120 feet high. It is 47 feet wide at its base, and the symbolic tomb is actually a solid block of black basalt. The sides of the pyramid are carved with 71 common Egyptian names, meant to represent the everyday man who served and died in the war.

Sadat's Tomb (in white) and the symbolic tomb (black basalt) (Photo by Keith Payne)

The idea for the monument was inspired by a war memorial Rafi had seen in Baghdad which depicted Mesopotamia—the Land Between the Rivers—spread out under a series of linked arches representing the different eras of Iraq’s history. Rafi wanted to similarly draw on Egypt’s national heritage, and the pyramid was the obvious choice. Not only is the pyramid synonymous with Egypt, but it is the eternal symbol of reverence for the deceased and his ascension to the afterlife.

A modern pyramid (Photo by Keith Payne)

In 1981 President Sadat was assassinated while delivering a speech across from the very memorial that he had commissioned, and it seemed only appropriate that he should be entombed at the site.

A mural at the complex memorializing the war (Photo by Keith Payne)

The Children of Egypt

Shemsu Sesen — Sun, 26 Jul 2009 16:42:52 +0000

In the last photo essay I posted, I stated that Egypt’s most important natural resource was her history. That was incorrect.

The number one most important natural resource of any country is its people, and its most important people are its children.

This photo essay is dedicated to Egypt’s children.

Temple Girl

Boys in Sand

Waterwheel

Young Captain 1

Young Captain 2

Loom Girls 1

Loom Girls 2

Little Brother Being a Little Brother

Children and Goat

Mother and Son

Boys Playing in the Nile

Dance of the Ancient and the Modern: The Streets of Cairo

Shemsu Sesen — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 01:12:16 +0000

The number one natural resource in Egypt is history. Unlike its oil-rich neighbors, the Egyptian economy relies on the foreign money of tourists who fly into Cairo from all points of the compass to see colossal monuments, puzzle over cyclopean architecture, and experience walking where the ancients once lived out their days. This has resulted in an organic fusion of the very ancient with the ultra modern.

No place on earth exemplifies this merger like Cairo. This photo essay takes a look at some instances where the ancient meets the modern.

There is no lack of information in print and online about the city of Cairo. Most anything you read will tell you that it is the capital of Egypt, the largest city in Africa, and is the center of Islamic culture. The official population is around 12 million people, although the actual figure is probably closer to 18 million.

There are infinite was to present the city and its people in words and images—culturally, historically, religiously—and the street scenes vary from modern urban canyons, to medieval bazaars with Roman cobblestones, to dusty residential causeways. From a high vantage point Cairo is a city that stretches off in all directions, disappearing into the horizon with no apparent end.

A view of Cairo from the Citadel of Salah al-Din (Photo by Keith Payne)

It can be difficult from mere photographs to get an appreciation for how the ancient and the modern flow together in such seamless intrepidity. The “City of a Thousand Minarets” is a city where the subway burrows under ancient avenues, minibuses jostle with horse-drawn carts, and robed pedestrians cross busy streets more on faith than observation. Rarely does one see the timeless and sacred coalesce with everyday life so naturally.

The sacred nestled amongst the secular (Photo by Keith Payne)

One of the older parts of the Cairo skyline is the Sultan Hassan Mosque. Ground broke for the mosque in 1356 at the behest of Sultan Hassan bin Al-Nasir Muhammad. The mosque is also a madrassa (religious school) for the four schools of Sunni Islam.

Mosque of Sultan Hassan (Photo by Keith Payne)

Constructed in the Bahri Mamluk style, it is one of the largest mosques in the world, covering over two acres. The minarets and domes of the Sultan Hassan Mosque appear to have foreshadowed the skyscrapers of modern Cairo, which the design seems to accent rather than condescend.

Mosque of Sultan Hassan from the Citadel road (Photo by Keith Payne)

The mosque has a somewhat dark history, having been built using money levied from the property of victims of the Black Death. In 1360, one of the minarets collapsed killing more than 300 people, and shortly afterwards, in 1361, the Sultan himself was assassinated. Despite its troublesome beginning, the mosque was completed in 1363.

Guard tower at the Abdeen Palace (Photo by Keith Payne)

Although not truly ancient, the Abdeen Palace is the end of a thread that winds back into antiquity. Construction began in 1863 on land purchased from the widow of an Ottoman Turk prince named Abdeen Bey, who once had a small estate on the site. The Abdeen Palace was inaugurated in 1874 when Khedive Ismail Pasha, grandson of Muhammad Ali Pasha, moved the royal court from the Citadel of Salah al-Din (See my feature article, Castle in the Sky: The Citadel of Salah al-Din).

The Abdeen Palace (Photo by Keith Payne)

The Abdeen Palace remains the seat of Government in modern Egypt, but it’s not just the capitol, it’s also one of the most important cultural sites in Cairo. The Palace contains a vast collection of paintings, priceless objets d’art, period weapons, and antiques that stands on a par with the greatest museums of Europe.

The Cairo Tower (Photo by Keith Payne)

The architecture of Cairo, whether viewed up close or from afar, is only one part of the city’s beauty, and any city is only as lovely as its people. Down at the street level you begin to get a feel for the idiosyncrasies and human vibe which make the city unique. And as with the city itself, you find that with the people little has changed, even as everything changes.

Zipping along a Cairo residential street (Photo by Keith Payne)

Navigating traffic can be interesting, to say the least. A trip across Cairo typically involves being in a herd of bumper to bumper compact cars travelling like a school of fish at breakneck speeds. The most important part on any Egyptian car is the horn, and traffic lanes are a quaint notion abandoned during the time of the Pharaohs. Factor in the occasional horse-drawn wagon or donkey cart and you learn why the brakes are nearly as important as the horn.

Horse-drawn cart in Cairo traffic (Photo by Keith Payne)

Donkey cart in an alleyway (Photo by Keith Payne)

Some Cairene forms of transportation are only nominally more modern than horse and donkey power. Having just delivered a tram-load of apples, the contraption pictured below speeds off with a basket of chickens.

The apple and chicken express departs (Photo by Keith Payne)

One advantage of live vs. automated transportation is upkeep. Properly fed and cared for, your average donkey rarely needs an oil check or new tires. When hosed off they are self drying, and never require a dust cover.

Cars and donkey (Photo by Keith Payne)

As the dust covers above might suggest, cars provide for one of the less-desirable interactions between the ancient and the modern. Two million cars grinding their tires onto the hot and sandy streets of a city that gets about an inch of rainfall per year makes for a very dusty place.

Some dust covers are more stylish than the stripes and solids pictured above. The construction site below is enclosed within huge richly-patterned Persian rugs. Whether the intent is to keep the dust inside or the sand out is anyone’s guess. Either way, the heat and grit is enough to make one long for an ice cold Coke…

Construction scene with tasteful Persian dust covers (Photo by Keith Payne)

Of course, some things can’t be kept under rugs or dust covers. Take the pyramid below, for example. How would you like to be the guy who has to Swiffer that floor?

This modern monument offers another juxtaposition of ancient and modern motifs. Built to commemorate those who fell anonymously in battle, The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier appropriately takes the form of a stylized pyramid. It is built on the site where President Anwar Sadat was assassinated, and is also where he is entombed.

The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier (Photo by Keith Payne)

Another marriage of the ancient with the modern is Cairo’s world famous suq, Khan el-Khalili. This labyrinthine bazaar was established in 1382 by Emir Jarkas el-Khalil and was largely reconstructed in the 16th century by Sultan Qansuh el-Ghuri.

Some parts of Khan el-Khalili look much as they did centuries ago, while other more developed parts are covered and tiled, and look more like an indoor mall than an outdoor market. The picture below is a glance down one of the hundreds of alleyways of this celebrated marketplace.

Open for business in Khan el Khalili (Photo by Keith Payne)

The vendor below specializes in hookahs, known locally as hubbly bubblies. This water pipe originated in India but is very popular now throughout the Middle East. Although unfairly associated with the “bong” of Western college culture, the hubbly bubblies can be seen in cafés all over Cairo, and are used to smoke tobacco, often flavored with fruit essences. The man in white was a potential customer, unfortunately, the hookah huckster didn’t have change for a goat.

Hookah huckster at Khan el Khalili (Photo by Keith Payne)

Keeping a watchful eye in the suq (Photo by Keith Payne)

Security in Khan el-Khalili is a bit tighter than in your average American shopping mall, as the above picture shows, but the guards themselves are no less prone to boredom. As intimidating as the sight of guards with machine guns may be, I never once felt unsafe anywhere.

Cairo is a very friendly city, and the shopkeepers of Khan el-Khalili are the friendliest. If you are unsatisfied with a price they won’t hesitate to barter, even to the point of following you out into the street. And down the street. And into the café. And to the door of your taxicab…

A modern Sphinx (Photo by Keith Payne)

Cairo threads the ancient and the modern together while remaining true to the beauty and function of both. It is a city that straddles the First, Second, and Third Worlds, but where graciousness and dignity are ever-present. It is hoped that this admittedly limited jaunt around town has given you an idea of how Cairo looks behind the images most often seen on TV or the Internet.

The Mosque of ibn Tulun

Shemsu Sesen — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 18:04:34 +0000

Built more than 1,100 years ago, the Mosque of ibn Tulun still looks largely the way it did when first constructed, although the entire city that was built around it was destroyed just 26 years later.

The mosque tells the story of a court servant, the son of a Turkish slave, who came to rule all of Egypt and part of Syria. He would rise to declare independence for his kingdom–as well as himself–from those who once owned him. This article will explore the history of Ahmad ibn Tulun and the mosque that bears his name.

Ahmad ibn Tulun

Ahmad ibn Tulun was born in Baghdad in AD 835, the son of a Turkish slave owned by the Abbasid Caliph al-Mamun. Turkish slaves often served as soldiers and court officials under the Abbasids, and the elder Tulun (“ibn Tulun” means “son of Tulun”) was an accomplished officer, rising to the position of chief of the Caliph’s personal guard. Tulun provided his son Ahmad with an excellent education, which included studying theology at Tarsus and military training at Samarra. This military and religious background, combined with a youth spent observing the machinations of court politics, would prove to be a valuable skill set for ibn Tulun.

Ahmad followed in his father’s footsteps and pursued a military career, fighting the Byzantines in the service of Caliph al-Muttawakkil. In 855 ibn Tulun’s father died and his mother married Bayik Bey, another high ranking Turkish official in the Abbasid court. Ibn Tulun busied himself in the war with the Byzantines until 868, when Caliph al-Mutazz made Bayik Bey the prefect of Egypt, who chose to send his stepson to govern the country in his stead.

At this time the capital of Egypt was the city of Fustat, which lies in the area of what is now called Old Cairo. Ibn Tulun, however, envisioned something more along the lines of Baghdad or Samarra, and so he began construction of his own capital city, al-Qatta’i. This new capital would be laid out in the Persian style, with a palace and a connected mosque large enough to service all his soldiers. For the location of his city ibn Tulun chose a strategic high ground called Jabal Yashkur, which means “Hill of Thanksgiving.” Ibn Tulun’s decision to create his own capital city exhibited an independent streak which would continue to grow as he consolidated his political power.

First, he took advantage of his connections with the Abbasid court to have the locally unpopular minister of finance removed, and by 872 he had assumed control of the council of financial affairs. Once in a position to do so, he boosted his own image in Egypt by lowering taxes and spending more on infrastructure. Meanwhile, after the murder of Bayik Bey in 870, control of Egypt passed to Ibn Tulun’s father-in-law, who not only kept him in place as governor but also granted him control over Alexandria.

Using a rebellion in Palestine as an excuse, ibn Tulun began to grow his army with a combination of slaves and Greek, African, and Turkish conscripts. With more than 100,000 soldiers behind him, in 874 he began to withhold tribute to the Abbasid court and began to rule Egypt more or less independent of the Caliphate. In 877 he repelled an attempt by the Abbasids to rein him in, and went on to annex parts of Syria which the Abbasids could no longer defend from the Byzantines. He would continue to not only make occasional war with the Abbasids, but to meddle in court politics as well. At one point he offered asylum to Caliph al-Mutaamid while having his brother, al-Muwaffaq, legally declared an usurper.

Ibn Tulun died in 883 of dysentery. He was succeeded by his son, Kuhmarraweh, but the Tulunid Dynasty would come to an end in 905 when the Abbasids regained control of Egypt. The Abbasids razed ibn Tulun’s capital of al-Qatta’i, leaving nothing standing but the mosque.

The Mosque of ibn Tulun

The Mosque of ibn Tulun was built in AD 876-79 at the center of al-Qatta’i. Jabal Yaskur, the hill on which the mosque was built, is traditionally where Moses had his showdown with the Pharaoh’s magicians (Exodus 7:8-9:11), and local legend also says that it is where Noah’s Ark came to rest. A Christian and Jewish cemetery had previously occupied the space where the mosque was built.

Entering the courtyard from the riwaq (Photo by Keith Payne)

The mosque is the largest in Cairo, and is the third largest in the world. It is the oldest mosque in Egypt that still retains much of its original design. The Mosque of ibn Tulun differs from other mosques in several regards, not the least of which is that it is built of brick covered with carved stucco rather than stone and marble. One reason given for this is the fact that the architect was a Christian, who decided to use brick in order to spare churches from being plundered for building materials. Another explanation is that ibn Tulun wanted the mosque to mirror the Great Mosque of Samarra, which is constructed in the same way, and because brick is more fire resistant.

View of the riwaq from the courtyard (sahn) showing the beautifully carved stucco (Photo by Keith Payne)

Map of the Mosque of ibn Tulun

The mosque is built around a central courtyard, called a sahn, which is bordered on all four sides by covered arcaded halls called riwaqs. Due to the brick construction, the arches are supported by square piers rather than round columns, although the piers are cornered with faux columns. There are 13 arches on each side of the sahn, and two rows of piers in each riwaq, except on the side of the Qibla Wall (the side which faces Mecca), which has five rows.

On three sides of the mosque there are open-air hall-like spaces called ziyadas. The ziyadas separate the riwaqs from the outer walls in order to create a sort of buffer zone between the sacred space of the mosque and the everyday world. The minaret is located in the northern ziyada. There is no ziyada on the Qibla Wall side because that is where the palace once stood. The unusual crenellations which top the inner and outer walls are said to represent people with linked upraised hands.

View of the eastern ziyada looking north (Photo by Keith Payne)

View of the domed ablution fountain from the riwaq (Photo by Keith Payne)

At the center of the courtyard is the domed ablution fountain where the faithful wash themselves before prayer. The original ablution fountain was in the ziyada area, with an ornamental fountain originally being in the location of the current ablution fountain. The ornamental fountain was destroyed by fire in 986, with the domed ablution fountain being a part of the renovations done under Sultan Lajin in the 13th century.

Ablution fountain and minaret from the sahn (Photo by Keith Payne)

After the return of the Abbasids in 905, and with the rise of Cairo proper as the capital of Egypt, the Mosque of ibn Tulun lost its former prestige and centuries of neglect took their toll. The mosque suffered major damage in the 12th century when it was used at various times to house pilgrims. In 1296, the Mamluk Sultan Lajin, who had hidden in the mosque in the aftermath of the assassination of Sultan al-Ashraf Khalil ibn Qalawun, made good on his promise to restore the property to its original grandeur.

One of Sultan Lajin’s major restorations was the mosque’s minaret which, with its spiraling external staircase, is another feature that sets the Mosque of ibn Tulun apart from other Egyptian mosques. Although common to ibn Tulun’s homeland, particularly Samarra, the minaret’s composition is like no other in Egypt.

The spiraling minaret of the Mosque of ibn Tulun (Photo by Keith Payne)

Ibn Tulun’s mosque is the only legacy remaining of this son of a slave who came to rule an independent Egypt at a time when the Abbasid Caliphate seemed on the verge of collapse. The mosque has undergone further renovations, with the most recent being in 1999 when the courtyard was paved. Additionally, the domed sahn has been refaced with black marble since these photographs were taken. But for the most part the mosque retains its original form as well as an ability to evoke an awareness of the sacred to visitors of all faiths.

Em Hotep! » Islamic Egypt

Blogroll Roundup for August 31, 2009

Shemsu’s Interview with Zahi Hawass

The Unknown Soldier Memorial

Further Reading

The Children of Egypt

Temple Girl

Boys in Sand

Waterwheel

Young Captain 1

Young Captain 2

Loom Girls 1

Loom Girls 2

Little Brother Being a Little Brother

Children and Goat

Mother and Son

Boys Playing in the Nile

Blogroll Roundup for July 26, 2009

Dance of the Ancient and the Modern: The Streets of Cairo

The Mosque of ibn Tulun

Ahmad ibn Tulun

The Mosque of ibn Tulun

Further Reading