Description:

Cairo is the quintessential Islamic city. Founded in 634 at the strategic head of the Nile Delta, the city evolved from an Islamic military outpost to the seat of the ambitious Fatimid caliphate which flourished between the 10th and 12th century. Its most spectacular age, however, was the Mamluk period (1250-1517), when it became the uncontested center of a resurgent Islam and acquired an architectural character that symbolized the image of the Islamic city for centuries to come. Between the sixteenth and the end of the eighteenth century, Cairo was reduced to an Ottoman provincial capital. Then, it witnessed a short yet ebullient renaissance under the reformist Muhammad ‘Ali Pasha (1805-48) followed by an extended stretch of oscillation between conservatism and modernization that is still with us today. The resulting urban and architectural chaos was exacerbated in the twentieth century by acute problems of rapid expansion, population explosion, and underdevelopment.

Cairo, however, still shines as a cultural and political center in its three spheres of influence: the Arab world, Africa, and the Islamic world. Moreover, many of its monuments (456 registered by the 1951 Survey of the Islamic Monuments of Cairo) still stand, although they remain largely unknown to the world’s architectural community and their numbers are dwindling at an exceedingly alarming pace.

In this course we will recount the history of Cairo. We will review its urban and architectural developments and interpret them in light of the cultural, political, and social history of the country, the region, and the world. We will also examine its architectural types and urban patterns to see how they relate to their wider Islamic and Mediterranean contexts.

The course is open to graduate students. A number of discussions are scheduled to further address critical architectural and urban issues. Students are encouraged to contribute to these sessions as part of their requirements. Three short essays (7-10 pages each) will be assigned. Graduate students may substitute a research paper for one or more of the essays.

Required Texts:

Doris Behrens-Abouseif, Islamic Architecture of Cairo, An Introduction. Leiden: Brill, 1989.
Andre Raymond, Cairo. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press, 2000.
Caroline Williams, Islamic monuments in Cairo : a practical guide. 4th ed.Cairo : American University in Cairo Press, 1993.

Suggested Texts:

Max Rodenbeck, Cairo: The City Victorious. New York: Knopf, 1999.
Janet Abu-Lughod, Cairo: 1001 Years of the City Victorious. Princeton, 1971.
K.A.C. Creswell, Muslim Architecture of Egypt. Oxford, 1959. 2 vols (Limited Access).
Martin Briggs, Muhammadan Architecture in Egypt and Palestine. New York, reprint 1974.

Syllabus:

Part 1: Beginnings: History, Geography, and Religion

1: Feb 6: History and Geography

The Nile and the Site of Cairo
The Legacy of Ancient Egypt

2: Feb 11: Egypt on the Eve of Islam

Hellenism
Christianity and the Copts
The coming of Islam: Arabia and Egypt

3: Feb 13: The Foundation of al-Fustat: what is a misr?

The Mosque of ‘Amru ibn al-‘As: the first mosque in Africa
The vocabulary of the mosque: the minaret, the mihrab and the minbar
The Nilometer

4: Feb 19: (Mon Schedule) Imperial Ambitions: Ibn Tulun and al-Ikhshid

The foundation of al-Qata’i‘
The Mosque of Ibn Tulun
Buildings of the Ikhshidids.

First paper assignment.

Reading:

Behrens-Abouseif, 3-34, 47-57.
Raymond, 7-30.
Walter Kaegi, "Egypt on the Eve of the Muslim Conquest," in The Cambridge History of Egypt, volume 1, Islamic Egypt 640-1517, ed. Carl F. Petry. Cambridge, 1998. 34-61.
Rodenbeck, 1-56.
Abu-Lughod, 3-25.
Briggs, 47-62.
Encyclopedia of Islam, 2d Ed., vol. 4, article "Kahira."
Dickie, James. "Allah and Eternity: Mosques, Madrasas, and Tombs," In: ed. G. Michell, Architecture of the Islamic World: Its History and Social Meaning. 65-79.

Part 2: Age of the Caliphate: The Fatimids

5: Feb 20: The foundation of al-Qahira

The first walls of al-Mu‘izz
Fatimid palaces
Comparison with contemporary Islamic cities

6: Feb 25: Fatimid Mosques of Cairo: new traditions and old forms

The Azhar Mosque and the Institution of religious learning
Mosques of al-Hakim, al-Aqmar, and al-Salih Tala’i‘.
Disucssion: The centrality of the mosque in a classical Islamic urban setting

7: Feb 27: The Cult of Saints: mashhads and mausolea

Genealogy as a propaganda tool for the Fatimids
The evolving function of the dome
The appearance of the muqarnas: decorative purposes and symbolic meanings.

8: Mar 4: The defenses of Cairo

The walls of Badr al-Jamali
The gates of Cairo and the question of regional influences
The Crusades, the fall of the Fatimids, and the rise of Salah al-Din

Reading:

Behrens-Abouseif, 58-77.
Raymond, 31-79.
Briggs, 63-75.
Rabbat, The Citadel of Cairo, 1-17.
Rabbat, "Al-Azhar Mosque: An Architectural Chronicle of Cairo's History." Muqarnas 13 (1996): 45-67.
Jonathan Bloom, "The Mosque of al-Hakim in Cairo," Muqarnas 1 (1983) 15-36.
Idem, "The Mosque of the Qarafa in Cairo," Muqarnas 4 (1987): 7-20.
Behrens-Abouseif, "The Façade of the Aqmar Mosque in the Context of Fatimid Ceremonial," Muqarnas 9 (1992): 29-38.
Caroline Williams, "The Cult of the ‘Alid Saints in the Fatimid Monuments of Cairo. Part 1: The Mosque of al-Aqmar," Muqarnas 1 (1983): 37-52.
Idem, "The Cult of the ‘Alid Saints in the Fatimid Monuments of Cairo. Part 2: The Mausolea," Muqarnas 3 (1985): 39-60.
Irene Bierman, Writing Signs: The Fatimid Public Text. Berkeley, 1998, 1-59.
Paula Sanders, Rituals, Politics and the City in Fatimid Cairo. N.Y., 1994. 39-67.

Part 3: Rise to Prominence: Ayyubids and Bahri Mamluks

9: Mar 6: The relationship of the citadel to the city

The emerging importance of the citadel as the residence of the ruler
The Roda Citadel and the urban development of Cairo in the Ayyubid period

10: Mar 11: Ayyubid architecture and the Sunni Revival

The mausoleum of al-Imam al-Shafe‘i
The introduction of the madrasa:
The Madrasa of al-Salih Najm al-Din Ayyub
The political and social functions of the madrasa
The mausoleum of the ruler

First paper due.

11: Mar 13: The Bahri Mamluks: continuity and change

A brief introduction to the Mamluk system
The Mosque of al-Zahir Baybars and traditional forms
The Complex of Qalawun and the Syrian import

Second paper assignment

12: Mar 18: The apogee of Medieval Cairo

The City under al-Nasir Muhammad
The charitable institutions of al-Nasir Muhammad's princes
The Waqf system

13: Mar 20: Mamluk Madrasas and Khanqahs and the problem of the Four-Iwan Plan

The royal madrasas on the main thoroughfare of Cairo
The Madrasas of Sultan Hasan

Mar 25-29: Spring Vacation

14: Apr 1: Residential and Palatial architecture

A brief survey of residential architecture up to the Mamluk period
Royal and princely palaces of the fourteenth century

15: Apr 3: Discussion: The urban character of Mamluk architecture

A short film, Medieval Cairo by Nezar AlSayyad

Reading:

Behrens-Abouseif, 35-44, 78-132.
Abu-Lughod, 27-36.
Raymond, 80-164.
Jean-Claude Garcin, "Outsiders in the City," " in The Cairo Heritage.Papers in Honor of Layla Ali Ibrahim, Doris Behrens-Abouseif, ed. (Cairo, AUC Press, 2001), 7-15.
Briggs, 76-109, 145-64 (Domestic Architecture).
Rabbat, The Citadel of Cairo, 283-95.
Idem. "Mamluk Throne Halls: Qubba or Iwan." Ars Orientalis 23 (1993): 201-18.
Idem. "The Changing Concept of Mamluk in the Mamluk Sultanate in Egypt and Syria," in Slave Elites in the Middle East and Africa: A Comparative Study, Miura Toru And John Edward Philips, eds. (London and New York: Kegan Paul International, 2000), 81-98.
Leonor Fernandes, "The Foundation of Baybars al-Jashankir: Its Waqf, History, and Architecture," Muqarnas 4 (1987): 21-42.
Oleg Grabar, "Reflections on Mamluk Art," Muqarnas 2 (1984): 1-12.
Howyda al-Harithy, "The Complex of Sultan Hasan in Cairo: Reading between the Lines," Muqarnas 13 (1996): 68-79.
Idem, "The Patronage of al-Nasir Muhammad ibn Qalawun, 1310-1341" Mamluk Studies Review 4 (2000): 219-36.
Sylvie Denoix, "A Mamluk Institution for Urbanization: The Waqf," The Cairo Heritage, 191-202.
R. Stephen Humphreys, "The Expressive Intent of the Mamluk Architecture in Cairo: a Preliminary Essay," Studia Islamica 35 (1972): 69-119
Th. Emil Homerin, "Saving Muslim Souls: The Khanqah and the Sufi Duty in Mamluk Land,’ Mamluk Studies Review 3 (1999): 59-83.
Laila A. Ibrahim, "Residential Architecture in Mamluk Cairo," Muqarnas 2 (1984): 47-59.
John Alden Williams, "Urbanization and Monument Construction in Mamluk Cairo," Muqarnas 2 (1984) 33-45.

Part 4: Afterglow of Empire: Burji Mamluks and Ottomans

16: Apr 8: The mosques, madrasas, and mausolea of the Burji Sultans

Urban complex from Barquq to Khayer Bak

Second paper due

17: Apr 10: The growth of Cairo and the development of the Qarafas

The royal charitable complexes from Umm Anuk to Qaytbay
Third paper assignment.

Apr 15 Holiday

18: Apr 17: Discussion: The Mamluk style

The development of the dome, the minaret, and the Qa‘a under the Mamluks
The development of Mamluk decorative techniques and patterns

19: Apr 22: The coming of the Ottomans

The urban changes in Cairo from the sixteenth to eighteenth centuries
Ottoman mosques in Cairo: wavering between the local and the official

20: Apr 24: Cairene Ottoman houses

The stabilization of a hybrid type
Comparison with houses of other Ottoman provinces

21: Apr 29: Discussion: The legacy of the pre-modern city

The French Expedition and the Description de l'Égypte

Reading:

Behrens-Abouseif, 133-67.
Raymond, 165-288.
Abu-Lughod, 37-79.
Briggs, 110-44.
Rabbat, "Maqrizi's Khitat: An Egyptian Lieu de Mémoire" in The Cairo Heritage. 17-30. Behrens-Abouseif, "The ‘Abd al-Rahman Katkhuda Style in 18th century Cairo," Annales Islamologiques 26 (1992): 117-26.
Christel Kessler, The Carved Masonry Domes of Medieval Cairo. (Cairo, 1976).
Idem, "Funerary Architecture Within the City," Colloque International sur l'Histoire du Caire (27 Mars-5 Avril 1969). 257-67.
Juan Eduardo Campo, The Other Sides of Paradise: Explorations into the Religious Meanings of Domestic Space in Islam. Columbia, S C, 1991. 74-94.
Irene Bierman, "Art and Architecture in the Medieval Period," in The Cambridge History of Egypt, volume 1, Islamic Egypt 640-1517, 339-74.
Jonathan Berkey, "Culture and Society during the Late Middle Ages," in The Cambridge History of Egypt, volume 1, Islamic Egypt 640-1517, 375-411.
Charles Gillispie, and Michael Dewachter (eds), Monuments of Egypt: the Napoleonic Edition: the complete archaelogical plates from la Description de l'Égypte. Princeton, 1987. 1-30.

Part 5: Modernization and After: Muhammad ‘Ali to the Present

22: May 1: The architectural and urban works of Muhammad Ali

The Mosque at the Citadel
The Westernization of the palatial architecture
The modernization of the city of Cairo

23: May 6: Orientalism and the Fascination of Egypt

Ethnographer-Painters and the romanticization of Cairo
The Comité de preservation des monuments du Caire and preservation

24: May 8: Cairene architecture in the late nineteenth century

Historicism and the Mamluk revival
The Mosque of al-Rifa‘i
Other Orientalizing styles
Cosmopolitan architecture

Third Paper Due

25: May 13: The emergence of vernacular style in the 1940s

The works of Hasan Fathy, Ramses Wissa Wasef, and their students

26: May 15: Cairo's expansion and modernization

Population explosion and urban chaos
Problems of preservation and accommodation
Discussion: The image of Cairo: past and present

Reading:

Behrens-Abouseif, 167-70.
Abu-Lughod, 83-117.
Raymond, 291-377.
Idem. "Cairo," in The Modern Middle East. A. Hourani, P. Khoury & M. Wilson (eds.), Berkeley, 1993. 311-37.
Edward William Lane, Cairo Fifty Years Ago. Edited by Stanley Lane-Poole. London, 1896.
Mohammad al-Asad, "The Mosque of Muhammad ‘Ali in Cairo," Muqarnas 9 (1992): 39-55; idem, "The Mosque of al-Rifa‘i in Cairo," Muqarnas 10 (1993): 108-24.
Khaled Asfour, "The Domestication of Knowledge: Cairo at the Turn of the Century," Muqarnas 10 (1993): 125-37.
Michael Meinecke, ed. Islamic Cairo: Architectural Conservation and Urban Development of the Historic Centre. (AARP, June 1980) 8-46.
Robert Ilbert and Mercedes Volait, "Neo-Arabic Renaissance in Egypt, 1870-1930," Mimar 13 (1984): 26-34.
Nasser Rabbat, "Writing the History of Islamic Architecture of Cairo" Design Book Review 31 (Winter 1994): 48-51
Idem, "The Formation of the Neo-Mamluk Style in Modern Egypt." In The Education of the Architect: Historiography, Urbanism and the Growth of Architectural Knowledge. Essays Presented to Stanford Anderson on his Sixty-Second Birthday. Martha Pollak, ed., (Cambridge, Mass., MIT Press, 1997), 363-86.
Idem, "Restoration Projects in Islamic Cairo Critiqued," in Medina 13 (May-June 2000): 48-51.
Ronald Lewcock, "Working with the Past," in Theories and Principles of design in the Architecture of Islamic Societies. AKPIA, 1988, 87-96.
Caroline Williams, "Islamic Cairo: Endangered Legacy" Middle East Journal 39, 3 (1985): 231-246.
Irene A. Bierman, "Urban Memory and the Preservation of Monuments," in Jere Bacharach, ed. The Restoration and Conservation of Islamic Monuments in Egypt (Cairo, AUC Press, 1995), 1-10.
John Rodenbeck, "The Present Situation of the Historic City: A Road Not Taken," in The Cairo Heritage, 327-40.