Knowledge (XXG)

Maristan of al-Mu'ayyad

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443:(chambers open on one side) that open though massive pointed arches framed by a band of carved stone (as mentioned above) resembling linked chains. The outer walls of the southwestern and northeastern iwans are distinguished by an unusually extensive arrangement of windows: four rectangular windows at the bottom, above which are four arched windows, above which in turn are six round windows stacked in a triangular formation. One set of these windows is visible on the outside of the building (in the section to the right of the main entrance). The original roofs of the building were made of 215: 1020: 365: 29: 392:(alternating dark red and light stone) masonry, but more elaborate ablaq patterns appear above the doorway. On both lateral (side) walls of the portal are two "roundels" of differing floral and geometric compositions created using red stone. Outside the portal, two even larger roundel patterns of this kind appear above the windows on either side of the portal. Between these and the portal are keel-shaped niches (originating from 348: 356:
ago, along with some other outlying structures. The building is located on higher ground than most of the surrounding area. Its entrance is located on its southeastern side, facing northeast. This entrance leads to a vestibule, which then leads to a large courtyard or main hall around which the northwestern part of the building is centered.
234:. Sha'ban had started building a monumental and lavishly-decorated mausoleum and madrasa for himself in 1375 but the building was still unfinished when he was assassinated in 1377. Since his mausoleum was incomplete, he was instead buried in the second mausoleum of the madrasa he had built to honour his mother (the 438:
The interior was ruined over time and little remains of the original structure other than the bare walls of the main halls, although it has recently been repaired and restored. Aside from the vestibule at the entrance, the interior is dominated by a rectangular central courtyard surrounded on four
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The monumental building, despite falling into ruin over the years, is nonetheless one of the most impressive structures in historic Cairo. What remains today is mostly the facade and the walls of the main hall; the upper floors and interior of the building having collapsed or disappeared some time
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The frontal facade is tall and imposing, and features a surprising richness of ornamentation and colour. Both here, on the exterior, and around the arches of the main hall/courtyard, are bands of carved stone that look like linked chains and serve to frame various elements of the architectural
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The maristan is set in an elevated position relative to the street in front of it and its entrance was originally reached by a spiral staircase (replaced by a regular staircase today). A sabil used to exist near the entrance, as did a school for orphans and a small mosque or oratory.
281:(the direction of prayer). Parts of the unfinished madrasa's walls, which were reportedly very tall and impressive, were possibly also reused. If so, this may also explain why this maristan building was equally monumental and impressive, which was rare for such a civic building. 288:
was present to see the construction. Unfortunately, al-Mu'ayyad died of illness the following year in 1421, before the building was able to properly begin its function as a hospital/maristan. In fact, it reportedly did not even provide services during the
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and Mu'ayyad Sheikh eventually succeeded to the throne, reigning from 1412 to 1421. He was known as a relatively humble and pious ruler who spent little on himself. Nonetheless, he managed to erect many religious and secular buildings (including
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which financed the foundation. As a result, they may have had an interest in cutting out operational costs for the hospital. Barsbay likely established a new endowment and trust for the conversion and operation of the building to a mosque.
269:) despite the unsettled political situation and the economic difficulties of Egypt at the time. He appropriated the site of Sha'ban's madrasa and built this maristan, even though a large bimaristan institution already existed as part of 315:. The waqf document briefly described the maristan but provided no instructions for how the space should be used, what services should be offered, or what staff should operate it (in contrast with the highly detailed waqf documents of 331:
Over time, the building fell into disuse and then into ruin. Only its monumental facade and the walls of its main hall remained standing. It only received some attention In recent years. In 2005, the
426:. One unusual detail is also found above the doorway: here, set along the middle of a double window, are two small decorative columns with carved snakes wrapping around them, which could be a 468:). The other chambers of the complex included a ward for female patients, an oratory or prayer room, a pharmacy, and a kitchen. There was an upper floor with a number of rooms as well as a 293:
outbreak of 1419-1420. For a year, the building was inhabited by a group of Iranians then used by the Mamluk court as a guesthouse for ambassadors. In March 1422, under the reign of Sultan
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demolished some of the structures in front of the building to allow an unobstructed view of the facade. In the following years, the building was restored by the government as part of the
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further north. It is likely that the foundations of Sha'ban's demolished religious complex were reused for the maristan, as the building's floor plan is aligned with the
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alignment). Part of the foundation's failure to serve its intended function may be due to a lack of information and instructions outlined in the documents of its
206:. It did not serve its function as hospital very long and stood ruined for many years. Its facade and main walls have survived, and have been recently restored. 1374: 990: 944: 869: 733: 246:
in 1411 in order to reuse its materials for a number of other buildings, including the so-called Zawiya of Faraj ibn Barquq (located in front of
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s) from which water flowed down to the basin via small water channels in the floor (something also found in a courtyard of the
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Construction of the building began in July 1418 and was completed in August 1420. The famous Egyptian historian
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documentation. The main courtyard had a central basin of water. Two of the iwans had wall fountains (
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composition. The entrance is set within a monumental recessed portal crowned by a vault or canopy of
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of this sort, the descendants of al-Mu'ayyad were also entitled to keep any income from the
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The unusual snake carvings around the columns of a window above the entrance.
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The maristan of al-Mu'ayyad (photographed in 2012) before recent restoration.
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neighbourhood. The unfinished structure was eventually dismantled by Sultan
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forms), formed with red paste or stone, which together appear to form the
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Beyond this, some of the building's original layout is known from the
396:) with radiating red and light stone, below which are inscriptions in 469: 444: 397: 312: 258: 180: 319:, which continued to operate even up to modern times). As a typical 609:
Cairo of the Mamluks: A History of its Architecture and its Culture
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between 1418 and 1420. It is located on the southern edge of the
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Madrasa of Amir Sunqur Sa'di (Mausoleum of Hasan Sadaqa)
238:), which is located further down the main street in the 660:. Leiden, the Netherlands: E.J. Brill. pp. 74–75. 257:
Sultan Faraj was assassinated in 1412 by rebellious
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The American University in Cairo Press. 363: 226:was built on the site of the unfinished 602: 600: 598: 596: 594: 592: 590: 588: 586: 584: 582: 580: 578: 576: 574: 572: 570: 513: 1198:Mosque of Qaytbay (at Qal'at al-Kabsh) 925:Mosque of Amir Jamal al-Din al-Ustadar 568: 566: 564: 562: 560: 558: 556: 554: 552: 550: 487:Medicine in the medieval Islamic world 636: 634: 632: 630: 628: 626: 624: 622: 620: 618: 22:Maristan of Sultan al-Mu'ayyad Sheikh 16:Bimaristan (hospital) in Cairo, Egypt 7: 673: 671: 669: 667: 525: 523: 521: 519: 517: 905:Khanqah-Mausoleum of Sultan Barsbay 880:Complex of Sultan al-Ashraf Qaytbay 706:Bimaristan al-Mu'ayyidi at ArchNet 385:. The overall facade makes use of 337:Historic Cairo Restoration Project 33:Monumental facade of the maristan. 14: 1375:Buildings and structures in Cairo 1274:Egyptian National Military Museum 1243:Tomb of Salar and Sangar-al-Gawli 656:Behrens-Absouseif, Doris (1989). 297:, the building was turned into a 1108:Madrasa of Umm al-Sultan Sha'ban 1066:Mosques and religious structures 1018: 822:Mosques and religious structures 807:al-Muizz Street (Qasabah Street) 351:Entrance portal of the maristan. 271:Sultan Qalawun's earlier complex 236:Madrasa of Umm al-Sultan Sha'ban 27: 1218:Mosque-Madrasa of Sultan Hassan 1158:Mosque of Amir Qijmas al-Ishaqi 1138:Mausoleum of Tarabay al-Sharifi 940:Mosque-Madrasa of Sultan Barquq 126: 1193:Mosque of Qanibay al-Muhammadi 1173:Mosque of Khushqadam el-Ahmadi 1083:Amir Khayrbak Funerary Complex 607:Doris Behren-Abouseif (2007). 333:Supreme Council of Antiquities 1: 1143:Mosque and Khanqah of Shaykhu 1088:Aqsunqur Mosque (Blue Mosque) 850:Mosque of Almalik al-Jukandar 1370:Mamluk architecture in Egypt 1128:Mausoleum of Imam al-Shafi'i 910:Madrasa of al-Nasir Muhammad 855:Madrasa of Tatar al-Hijaziya 679:"Sultan Al-Muayyad Hospital" 502:Mosque of Sultan al-Mu'ayyad 1163:Mosque of Aslam al-Silahdar 930:Mosque of Sultan al-Muayyad 900:Khanqah of Faraj ibn Barquq 641:Williams, Caroline (2018). 418:script, formed with inlaid 1401: 1148:Mosque of Amir al-Maridani 1123:Mashhad of Sayyida Ruqayya 1113:Madrasa of Uljay al-Yusufi 885:Complex of Sultan al-Ghuri 1178:Mosque of Mahmud al-Kurdi 1016: 890:Complex of Sultan Qalawun 870:Church of the Virgin Mary 531:"Bimaristan al-Mu'ayyidi" 38: 26: 1213:Mosque of Ulmas al-Hajib 1203:Mosque of Sulayman Pasha 1133:Mausoleum of Amir Qawsun 1073:Al-Nasir Muhammad Mosque 1006:Wikala of Sultan Qaytbay 986:Sabil-Kuttab of Katkhuda 875:Complex of Amir Qurqumas 786:Gates of Khan al-Khalili 317:Qalawun's older maristan 1340:Sabil-Kuttab of Qaytbay 1325:Maristan of al-Mu'ayyad 920:Mosque of Abu al-Dhahab 311:(a charitable trust in 172:(hospital; also called 164:Bimaristan al-Mu'ayyadi 160:Maristan of al-Mu'ayyad 1315:Cairo Citadel Aqueduct 1233:Sayyidah Zainab Mosque 1228:Sayeda Nafeesah Mosque 1183:Mosque of Muhammad Ali 1103:Madrasa of Sarghatmish 860:Al-Salih Tala'i Mosque 369: 352: 219: 1300:Bayt al-Razzaz Palace 1279:Gayer-Anderson Museum 1208:Mosque of Taghribirdi 976:Hammam of Sultan Inal 895:Khanqah of Baybars II 367: 350: 230:-mausoleum of Sultan 217: 176:) constructed by the 104:30.03278°N 31.25944°E 1238:Sultaniyya Mausoleum 683:World Monuments Fund 466:Islamic architecture 394:Fatimid architecture 120:Construction started 1295:Amir Alin Aq Palace 1223:Sayeda Aisha Mosque 1168:Mosque of Ibn Tulun 1042:Salah al-Din Square 834:Al-Azhar University 497:Mamluk architecture 464:, and elsewhere in 462:maristan of Qalawun 383:Mamluk architecture 100: /  59:Architectural style 43:General information 1188:Mosque of Qani-Bay 996:Wikala of al-Ghuri 370: 353: 220: 184:al-Mu'ayyad Sheikh 139:early 21st century 109:30.03278; 31.25944 1352: 1351: 1348: 1347: 1330:Palace of Yashbak 1259:Al-Gawhara Palace 1014: 1013: 845:Al-Hussein Mosque 428:symbol of healing 321:Mamluk foundation 295:al-Ashraf Barsbay 232:al-Ashraf Sha'ban 204:Bab al-Wazir gate 156: 155: 144:Technical details 1392: 1078:Al-Rifa'i Mosque 1052:Al-Darb al-Ahmar 1032: 1022: 1001:Wikala of Qawsun 754: 736: 729: 722: 713: 693: 692: 690: 689: 675: 662: 661: 653: 647: 646: 638: 613: 612: 604: 545: 544: 542: 541: 527: 244:Faraj ibn Barquq 200:Citadel of Cairo 115: 114: 112: 111: 110: 105: 101: 98: 97: 96: 93: 31: 19: 1400: 1399: 1395: 1394: 1393: 1391: 1390: 1389: 1355: 1354: 1353: 1344: 1305:Bayt al-Sinnari 1283: 1269:Carriage Museum 1264:Amir Taz Palace 1247: 1061: 1023: 1010: 981:Khan el-Khalili 966:Bayt al-Suhaymi 949: 840:Al-Hakim Mosque 830:Al-Azhar Mosque 816: 812:Bayn al-Qasrayn 795: 766:Bab al-Barqiyya 745: 740: 702: 697: 696: 687: 685: 677: 676: 665: 655: 654: 650: 640: 639: 616: 606: 605: 548: 539: 537: 529: 528: 515: 510: 478: 436: 362: 360:Exterior facade 345: 275:Bayn al-Qasrayn 212: 202:and the former 108: 106: 102: 99: 94: 91: 89: 87: 86: 34: 17: 12: 11: 5: 1398: 1396: 1388: 1387: 1382: 1377: 1372: 1367: 1365:Medieval Cairo 1357: 1356: 1350: 1349: 1346: 1345: 1343: 1342: 1337: 1332: 1327: 1322: 1317: 1312: 1307: 1302: 1297: 1291: 1289: 1285: 1284: 1282: 1281: 1276: 1271: 1266: 1261: 1255: 1253: 1249: 1248: 1246: 1245: 1240: 1235: 1230: 1225: 1220: 1215: 1210: 1205: 1200: 1195: 1190: 1185: 1180: 1175: 1170: 1165: 1160: 1155: 1150: 1145: 1140: 1135: 1130: 1125: 1120: 1115: 1110: 1105: 1100: 1095: 1093:Juyushi Mosque 1090: 1085: 1080: 1075: 1069: 1067: 1063: 1062: 1060: 1059: 1054: 1049: 1044: 1038: 1036: 1029: 1025: 1024: 1017: 1015: 1012: 1011: 1009: 1008: 1003: 998: 993: 988: 983: 978: 973: 971:Beshtak Palace 968: 963: 957: 955: 951: 950: 948: 947: 942: 937: 932: 927: 922: 917: 912: 907: 902: 897: 892: 887: 882: 877: 872: 867: 862: 857: 852: 847: 842: 837: 826: 824: 818: 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865:Aqmar Mosque 800:Main streets 781:Bab al-Wazir 771:Bab al-Futuh 686:. Retrieved 682: 657: 651: 642: 608: 538:. Retrieved 534: 472:or balcony. 455: 449: 437: 420:lapis lazuli 409: 387: 375: 371: 354: 330: 313:Islamic law) 306: 283: 256: 221: 190:district in 173: 167: 163: 159: 157: 1380:Bimaristans 791:Bab Zuweila 776:Bāb al-Naşr 400:(in either 343:Description 248:Bab Zuweila 198:, near the 107: / 82:Coordinates 1359:Categories 832:(see also 688:2019-11-12 540:2019-11-12 508:References 482:Bimaristan 325:endowments 250:) and the 169:bimaristan 95:31°15′34″E 92:30°01′58″N 54:(hospital) 52:bimaristan 457:shadirvan 447:(wood). 439:sides by 136:Renovated 128:Completed 476:See also 434:Interior 379:muqarnas 224:maristan 174:maristan 149:Material 73:Location 1252:Museums 535:Archnet 411:shahada 402:thuluth 390:masonry 286:Maqrizi 228:madrasa 210:History 67:Islamic 1288:Others 954:Others 470:loggia 445:timber 406:naskhi 398:Arabic 291:plague 259:Mamluk 181:sultan 178:Mamluk 63:Mamluk 758:Gates 441:iwans 424:tiles 422:blue 388:ablaq 303:qibla 279:qibla 262:amirs 196:Egypt 192:Cairo 166:is a 152:stone 452:waqf 308:waqf 222:The 158:The 131:1420 123:1418 48:Type 404:or 273:at 162:or 1361:: 681:. 666:^ 617:^ 549:^ 533:. 516:^ 430:. 339:. 254:. 194:, 65:, 836:) 735:e 728:t 721:v 691:. 543:.

Index


bimaristan
Mamluk
Islamic
Coordinates
30°01′58″N 31°15′34″E / 30.03278°N 31.25944°E / 30.03278; 31.25944
bimaristan
Mamluk
sultan
al-Mu'ayyad Sheikh
Darb al-Ahmar
Cairo
Egypt
Citadel of Cairo
Bab al-Wazir gate

maristan
madrasa
al-Ashraf Sha'ban
Madrasa of Umm al-Sultan Sha'ban
Darb al-Ahmar
Faraj ibn Barquq
Bab Zuweila
madrasa-mosque of his emir Jamal al-Din Ustadar
Mamluk
amirs
a large mosque
Sultan Qalawun's earlier complex
Bayn al-Qasrayn
qibla

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