Bab al-Futuh, Cairo
Type:
City walls
Date:
1087
Location or Findspot (Modern-Day Country):
Egypt
Medium:
Stone
Dimensions:
22 × 23 m
Description:
The Bab al-Futuh (Gate of Conquest) was the northern gate of medieval Cairo, built in 1087 by the Fatimid vizier Badr al-Jamali (r. 1074–94). It replaced an earlier one made of sun-dried brick. Solid ashlar blocks support an upper level of rubble masonry faced with stone revetment. Behind the projecting rounded towers and recessed gateway, the vestibule is covered with a dome on pendentives, unusual in Egyptian architecture. Badr al-Jamali, who was originally from Armenia, employed skilled stoneworkers from Armenia and Syria in a monumental building campaign that included new walls and three new city gates.
The gate is ornamented with decorative carving, joggled vousoirs in two colors, and two rams' heads. The ram is the zodiac sign for Mars, known in Arabic as al-Qahir and therefore associated with al-Qahira (the Victorious), the Fatimids' name for Cairo.
The gate is ornamented with decorative carving, joggled vousoirs in two colors, and two rams' heads. The ram is the zodiac sign for Mars, known in Arabic as al-Qahir and therefore associated with al-Qahira (the Victorious), the Fatimids' name for Cairo.
Relevant Textbook Chapter(s):
7
Image Credits:
Wikimedia Commons
