Gallery
Description
Property Name: Complex of Sultan Qalawun
Inventory No: 20-2-9
Date of infill of the inventory form: 2007-12-17
Country (State party): Egypt
Province: Cairo
Town:
Geographic coordinates: 30° 2′ 57.91″ N
31° 15′ 39.1″ E
Historic Period: Bahri Mamluk (1250-1382)
Year of Construction: 1284-1285
Style:
Original Use: Madrasa, Mosque, Mausoleum, Hospital
Current Use: Mosque, Mausoleum
Architect: Unknown
Significance
One of the most outstanding medieval monuments in Cairo is the Complex of Sultan Qalawun, consisting of a hospital (maristan), mausoleum and mosque. The three buildings were constructed successively and are connected by a long corridor. The mausoleum and the madrasa have an impressive, richly decorated street façade and both the buildings have an extra-ordinary architectural concept in the architectural history of Cairo.
Selection Criteria
v. to be an outstanding example of a traditional human settlement, land-use, or sea-use which is representative of a culture (or cultures), or human interaction with the environment especially when it has become vulnerable under the impact of irreversible change
vi. to be directly or tangibly associated with events or living traditions, with ideas, or with beliefs, with artistic and literary works of outstanding universal significance
State of Preservation
Most of the hospital is in ruins and only a few walls remain. The madrasa of Qalawun is partially reserved. Also its entrance is altered, a window is enlarged and used as a door. The mausoleum is the most preserved part of the complex. The main preservation problem of this complex is underground water, since it stands on the lowest level of the Fatimid Cairo. The whole complex underwent a through restoration in 2005-2006.
References
Ahmad, Mahmud. Concise Guide to the Principal Arabic Monuments in Cairo, Government Press, Bulak, 1939.
Behrens-Abouseif, Doris. The City in Islamic Architecture in Cairo: An Introduction. E.J. Brill, New York, 1989.
Creswell, K.A.C., The Muslim Architecture of Egypt, Volume I and II, Hacker Art Books, New York, 1978.
Michell, George. Architecture of the Islamic World: Its History and Social Meaning. Thames and Hudson, London, 1978.