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The Halls and Gates
According to Maqrizi
there were eight gates as follows: in the south wall double arched bab Zuweyla,
in the west wall e bab el Farag, bab sa'ada and Bab al. Qantara, on the north
the Bab al futuh and Bab El Nasr and on the east Bab El Barqiya and bab Al
Qarratin (later renamed bab El-Mahruq) there was one more gate, bab Khuhha,
Which Maqrizi said its believed to be build after Gawhar El sikili. None of
these gates exists today as they were all replaced by later gates when Cairo was
enlarged, some by Badr El Gamali, others by Salah El Din. Three of replacements
still exist and are well Known: Bab Zuwayla, Bab al futah and bab El Nasr. All
due to Badr El Gamali.
Bab El Nasr
This gateway, which is
placed at the north east corner of the enclosure of Fatimid Cairo, consists of
two great square towers, solid for two thirds of their heights, flanking a very
fine arched gateway which is set back 4.54 m. From their front face. At the back
of latter are a great square bay, 1077 m. Long and 8.17 m broad covered by an
interesting Vault or cross vault and forming a covered roadway between the two
towers.
This Vault ends flush with the near face of the towers.
The whole
structure measures 24.22 m. in width, 20.47 m in depth and 20. 89 m in height
(from the sill of the great gateway) behind the eastern tower, is a massive
oblong tower containing a fine spiral staircase 1, 65 m wide leading to the
platform over the vaulted roadway.
The square gateway towers are built in
three storey, the two lower of which are solid, the lower storey is 6,61 in
height, measured from halt-round moulding at its base, or 37 m more if measured
from the sill of the entrance.
The seventh course is remarkable for a series
of stone circles, placed about 1. 85 m a part run all round the outer faces. The
circles are the ends of a series of columns let into the wall as a band between
the rubble core and the outer faces of dressed stone.
The second storey
which is 6.77 m high to the top of the level is built slightly in retreat on the
first, it, is composed of ten courses, almost entirely of stretchers, varying
from 95 cm to 23 in length. A remarkable decoration appears here in the form of
three shields on the front of each tower and one with a sword on each of the
sides next the arch way, half the shields are circular the other half ere round
above and pointed below after the fashion of the roman shields. At the summit of
this storey on the front and inner faces only in the dating inscription a fine
band of Kufic and above, this a curious cornice beveled off above and supported
below by a series of modillions almost classical in form.
The lower edge of
the cornice thus supported is decorated with a band of simple ornament,
recalling the egg and bead motive.
Bab El Futuh
This gate like Bab El Nasr consists of two great towers
solid for two thirds of their height, defending a great archway which is set
back between them.
The passage way behind this arch, however instead of
being roofed by an interesting vault, is covered by a dome of stone voussoris
resting on a spherical triangle pendentives of the same curvature. Moreover, the
towers themselves are oblong with rounded fronts and are not divided externally
into storeys.
The whole measures 22.85 m in width, 25.22 m in depth and
22.33 m in height from the original ground level to the top of the
crenellations.
The platform over the shallow dome is reached by a staircase
which runs up alongside the inner face of the curtain wall to the east of the
gateway. The towers are 7.58 m width, the straight sides measured to the edge of
the rounded front, which is formed by a segment of a circle only, instead of
being semicircular in plan is 9.26 m.
The courses of masonry average 52 m in
height the stretchers from 80 cm to 1.3 m in length and the headers from 23 to
70 cm. In the sixth course from the present ground level we observe a row of
stone circles about 45 m in a part running around the tower, they are as we have
seen the ends of columns.
The lower solid part of each tower is decorated
with three great arched panels one on each side and one on the front, the latter
being curved in a plan and higher than the other two.
The panels on the
outer sides and front of each tower are perfectly plain and without any
moulding, but on the side of each tower next the gateway is decorated with an
inner ring of cushion voussoris.
The upper part of each tower is perfectly
plain on the outer sides, the smooth surface being broken by a single
arrow-slit. The front faces, however are each pierced by three arrow-slit each
set in a shallow recess with a semicircular arched head, the whole being
surrounded by a large rectangular molded frame.
The gateway; A great splayed
semicircular arch is set back 7.7 m between the towers. A rectangular lattice
work of slightly.
Bab Zewaila
Bab
Zewaila is like Bab el Futh, to which it is closely related, consists of a great
arched gateway 4.84 m wide defended by two oblong round fronted towers, solid
for two third of their height and placed 9.17 m. Behind the archway is a
passageway covered by a shallow dome on spherical triangle pendentives
supporting the great platform which extends right across behind the upper rear
face of both towers.
The whole structure measures 25.72 m in width, 25.36m
from back to front and 20.10 m in height. We see once more the series of
circles, the ends of columns let into the rubble core as a band-running around
the towers and passage way at the seventh course from the ground level.
The
towers have rounded fronts not semicircular in plan but formed of a segment of
circle only.
The round front of the towers rested on a rectangular plinth of
two courses the outer flanks of these towers are concealed on the west by the
Mosque of al Mu'ayyad on the east by a row of houses.
The inner flanks of
the towers are decorated with two similar shallow arched panels one within the
other within them is much smaller panel composed of a pointed arch.
Distorted squares, each filled with a simple but crisply carved motif,
sunflowers, pentagrams, hexagrams, stare, crosses, circles, grilles, decorates
the splayed part, the whole being set in a simple border consisting of circle
and a lozenge alternately set bock 1.49 m within this semicircular arch is the
gate way border 4.85m in width and 6.48m in height, spanned by two horizontal
arches.
Above the bracket and flush with its front edge, is a shallow arch
of twenty one voussoirs, each with one bold joggle.
And above this in the parapet are five openings with lintels, the whole five
being set in a frame which is quite plain except for its top edge.
The upper
arch consists of nine voussoirs, the side ones of five. The upper arch, has a
scalloped edge where as the side ones have net, but the voussoirs of the upper
arch is decorated with a simple medallion a star of eight loops formed by eight
nearly complete circles. It is similar to the medallions on Bab El Nasr shield,
which, however are composed of six loops only.
In the panel below apex of
this arch is a splendid medallion. In the upper part of each tower, above the
great arched panel is a rectangular window opening from what was once the tower
chamber it is covered by a flat joggled arch, above the great outer arch are
five courses of masonry. It was here that herz found the remains of two lines of
Kufic inscription under layers of plasters in 1897.
The text contains the
shi'a confession of faith followed by several words from Quran.
The central
part of the vault was cut through by sultan al Mu'ayyad when he decided to use
the towers of Bab Zywayla as pedestals for two minarets of his mosque.
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