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Fatimid Great Palaces
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The '''Great Palaces of the Fatimid Caliphs''' (or '''Great Fatimid Palaces''', among other name variants) were an enormous and lavish palace complex built in the late 10th century to house the [[Fatimid Caliphate|Fatimid Caliphs]], their households, and the administration of their state. There were two main palaces, the Eastern and the Western Palaces. They were located in the center of the walled city of Cairo around the area still known today as [[Bayn al-Qasrayn]].
== History and description ==
=== Overview ===
[[File:The story of Cairo (1906) (14782234955).jpg|thumb|328x328px|A plan of [[Fatimid Caliphate|Fatimid]] Cairo (before 1200 CE), as reconstructed by [[Stanley Lane-Poole]].]]
The [[Fatimid Caliphate|Fatimids]] were originally based in [[Tunisia]] and conquered [[Egypt]] in 969 [[Common Era|CE]] with a North African [[Kutama]] army under the command of the general [[Gawhar al-Siqilli|Jawhar al-Siqilli]]. In 970, Jawhar was responsible for planning, founding, and constructing a new city to serve as the residence and center of power for the Fatimid Caliphs. The city was named ''al-Mu'izziyya al-Qaahirah'', the "Victorious City of [[Al-Mu'izz li-Din Allah|al-Mu'izz]]", later simply called "al-Qahira", which gave us the modern name of [[Cairo]].<ref name=":22"></ref> The city was located northeast of [[Fustat]], the existing capital and main city of Egypt. Jawhar organized the city so that the caliphal palace complex was at its center, in addition to the main mosque, [[Al-Azhar Mosque|al-Azhar]], to the southeast. The palace complex consisted of two main parts: the '''Great Eastern Palace''', the first to be laid out in 970 by Jawhar for the arrival of the triumphant Caliph [[Al-Mu'izz li-Din Allah|al-Mu'izz]], and the '''Western Palace''', which was added under his successor, Caliph [[Al-Aziz Billah|al-'Aziz]] (ruled 975-996).<ref name=":22" /> Together they served as the residences of the caliphs and their family throughout the Fatimid period, and were thus also known as the ''Dar al-Khalifa''.<ref name=":4"></ref> Information about the layout and appearance of these palaces comes from a few written reports and especially from the chronicles of the [[Arabs|Arab]] historian [[Al-Maqrizi|Maqrizi]] and of the [[Persian People|Persian]] traveler [[Nasir Khusraw|Nasir e-Khosrow]].<ref name=":4" />
The two palaces faced each other across an open square or plaza which became known as ''[[Bayn al-Qasrayn]]'' (meaning "Between the Two Palaces"), on a pattern repeated from the original Fatimid royal city at [[Mahdia|al-Mahdia]], [[Tunisia]].<ref name=":22" /><ref>Çelik, Zeynep, Diane G. Favro, and Richard Ingersoll, eds. Streets: Critical Perspectives on Public Space. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1994, p. 72</ref><ref name=":4" /> This square was rectangular and measured 105 by 255 meters, taking up over two-and-a-half [[Hectare|hectares]].<ref name="Raymond1993">Raymond, André. 1993. ''Le Caire''. Fayard.</ref> It had great public and symbolic significance, and was the site of various ceremonies related to the dynasty. The grand official entrance to the Great Eastern Palace, known as ''Bab al-Dhahab'' ("The Golden Gate") was located here.
=== The Great Eastern Palace ===
The Great Eastern Palace was the largest palace and is believed to have occupied about 9 [[Hectare|hectares]], or one-fifth of the total area of Cairo.<ref name="Raymond1993" /><ref name=":4" /> It was begun under al-Mu'izz and finished under al-'Aziz, although work of various kinds continued for decades, even under [[Al-Hakim bi-Amr Allah|al-Hakim]] and under the [[vizier]] [[al-Ma'mun al-Bata'ihi]] in the 12th-century.<ref name=":4" /><ref name="Raymond1993" /> The palace was open to the rest of the city through nine gates (3 to the west, 1 to the north, 3 to the east, and 2 to the south)<ref name="Raymond1993" />, but it was also separated from the city around it by gardens and open squares. This vast but secluded layout in the center of the city kept with a tradition, already established by the Abbasid Caliphs, of isolating the caliph from the public sphere.<ref name=":0"></ref> Members of the Isma'ili religious establishment (scholars and clerics) were also housed in or around the palace, which had its own [[Mu'azzin|muezzin]] and thus did not rely on the [[Adhan|call to prayer]] of the al-Azhar Mosque.<ref name=":4" />
The Eastern Palace was composed of many great halls, the most important of which were preceded by their own courtyards (called ''dihliz'').<ref name=":4" /> The palace also featured many gardens or courtyards, often bordered by [[Portico|porticos]] and featuring pavilions and fountains, where court life unfolded. Visitors who wrote about the palaces reported marble pavements of different colors, central fountains, gold fixtures and ornamentation, and animals on display to impress guests.<ref name="Raymond1993" />
The palace's official grand entrance was through its central western gate called ''Bab al-Dhahab'' ("The Golden Gate"), which opened off the [[Bayn al-Qasrayn]] plaza. It apparently featured gold brought from [[Ifriqiya|Ifriqiyya]] (present-day Tunisia).<ref name="Raymond1993" /> Above the gate was a balcony at which the caliph could appear before his subjects.<ref name=":22" /> This entrance led to the "Golden Hall" (''Qa'at al-Dhahab'' or ''Dar al-Dhahab'') via a long vaulted passage of around 30 meters long.<ref name="Raymond1993" /> The Golden Hall acted as a throne room and was where the Caliph held his daily audience and where official receptions and religious festivals took place.<ref name=":22" /><ref name=":4" /> Another important hall was known as the Great Iwan, which was crowned by a dome. This was the venue were the clerics and missionaries (''[[da'i]]'') of the [[Isma'ilism|Isma'ili]] religious establishment would hold sermons for the palace residents, as well as some of the most important religious festivals too. In this hall the sultan's seat was hidden behind a screen or grille known as the ''Shubbak al-Khalifa'' ("Caliph's Window").<ref name=":4" /> Both the Golden Hall and the Great Iwan were built or completed under al-'Aziz.<ref name=":4" /><ref name="Raymond1993" />
About one quarter of the palace, to the northeast, was taken up by a great square called ''Rahbat al-'Eid'' ("The Festival Square"), measuring 157 by 105 meters, which was the starting point for the caliph's procession when leaving the palace.<ref name="Raymond1993" /> One of the eastern gates, called ''Bab al-Zumurrud'' ("the Emerald Gate"), opened off this square and gave access to the part of the palace known as the Emerald Palace, the private residence of the caliph.<ref name="Raymond1993" /> Another gate opening off the southern side of the square was called ''Bab al-'Eid''. An arsenal hall, called ''Khizanat al-Bunud'' (roughly the "Arsenal of Banners/Flags"), lay to the east of the palace, as did a gate known as ''Bab Qasr al-Sharq''.<ref name="Raymond1993" /> The southeastern gate, ''Bab Daylam'', led to the monument that later became the shrine of al-Hussein (see below), while the southwestern gate was called ''Bab Turbat al-Za'faraan'', after the name of the adjacent royal mausoleum (see below).<ref name="Raymond1993" /> The southwestern part of the palace was occupied by the kitchens, which also provided food for the poor during the fasting month of [[Ramadan]]. The southernmost of the western gates, located here, became known as ''Bab Zuhuma'', named after the odors of food emanating from the kitchens.<ref name="Raymond1993" /> The only northern gate of the palace, ''Bab al-Rih'' ("Gate of the Wind"), was the entrance used by the ''da'i''s (missionaries). This gate may also have been the last one to disappear in the post-Fatimid period, having survived at least until 1408 and having been seen by [[Al-Maqrizi|Maqrizi]].<ref name="Raymond1993" />
In the 12th century, the vizier [[al-Ma'mun al-Bata'ihi]] (in office from 1122-1125) added three more pavilions to the palace. He was also responsible for building the [[Aqmar Mosque|al-Aqmar Mosque]], which still stands today, at the northwestern edge of the palace.<ref name="Raymond1993" />
==== The mausoleum: ''Turbat al-Za'faraan'' ====
Attached to the southern end of the eastern palace was a mausoleum known as ''Turbat al-Za'faraan'' ("the Saffron Tomb"), which served as the burial site of the caliphs.<ref>Lev, Y. 2001. "Aspects of the Egyptian Society in the Fatimid Period". In Vermeulen, Urbain & J. van Steenbergen (eds.). ''Egypt and Syria in the Fatimid, Ayyubid, and Mamluk Eras III: Proceedings of the 6th, 7th and 8th International Colloquium Organized at the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven in May 1997, 1998, and 1999''. Peeters Publishers. p. 20.</ref><ref name="Raymond1993" /> Even the remains of the Fatimid Caliphs in Tunisia were transferred here when the caliphate moved to Egypt.<ref name=":4" /> One of the palace's southern gates, west of Bab Daylam The tombs were eventually completely demolished by the [[Mamluk Sultanate (Cairo)|Mamluk]] [[Emir|amir]] Jaharka al-Khalili to make way for the [[Khan el-Khalili|Khan al-Khalili]] in the late 14th century, which gave its name to the surrounding [[souq]] area still present today.<ref name=":12"></ref><ref name=":1"></ref> Jaharkas reportedly disposed of the bones of the Fatimid royal family by throwing them into the rubbish hills east of the city.<ref name="Raymond1993" />
Also adjacent to the caliphs' mausoleum was the later 12th-century shrine which allegedly housed the head of [[Husayn ibn Ali|Hussein]], the son of [[Ali ibn Abi Talib|'Ali]] who was slain at the [[Battle of Karbala]] in 680 and is revered as a martyr by [[Shia Islam|Shi'as]]. His head was originally believed to be interred at [[Ashkelon|Ascalon]] but the Fatimids brought it to Cairo in 1153 when Ascalon was threatened by [[Crusades|Crusaders]].<ref name=":1" /><ref name="Raymond1993" /> Since the [[Isma'ilism|Isma'ili]] Fatimids claimed descent through Hussein's mother, [[Fatimah|Fatima]], the creation of this shrine was an important symbolic and religious act.<ref name=":4" /> The shrine still exists today (albeit rebuilt many times) in the [[al-Hussein Mosque]], which is heavily visited by Muslims.<ref name=":1" />
=== The Western Palace ===
The smaller Western Palace (sometimes referred to as the Lesser Palace<ref name="Raymond1993" />) was initially built as a residence for one of Caliph al-'Aziz's daughters, [[Sitt al-Mulk]] (who was also ''[[de facto]]'' ruler between 1021 and 1023).<ref name="Raymond1993" /> It covered about 4.5 hectares and had two wings which wrapped around the south and north sides of the [[Bayn al-Qasrayn]] plaza.<ref name="Raymond1993" /> Less is known overall about this palace, as it was quickly replaced by other structures in the post-Fatimid era.<ref name="Raymond1993" /> The palace was built on the site of a vast, previously-existing garden called ''Kafur al-Ikhshidi'' (or ''al-Bustan al-Kafur''), which was originally established here by the [[Ikhshidid dynasty|Ikhshidids]], the rulers of Egypt before the Fatimids. The western part of the garden was retained for the Fatimids' pleasure and initially reserved for the caliph's family.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":4" /> The Eastern and Western Palaces, as well as these gardens to the west, were all connected by large underground tunnels that allowed the caliphs to get from one to the other by horse.<ref name=":4" /><ref name="Raymond1993" /> The Western Palace was refurbished in 1064 by Caliph [[Al-Mustansir Billah|al-Mustansir]] who intended to house the [[Abbasid Caliphate|Abbasid Caliphs]] here in exile while their caliphate in [[Baghdad]] was in crisis (though this purpose was never served).<ref name="Raymond1993" /> The palace was also known as ''Qasr al-Bahr'' ("Palace of the Sea/River") in reference to the fact that it fronted the [[Canal of the Pharaohs|ancient canal]] (the ''Khalij'') which passed next to Cairo (and which once extended to the [[Red Sea]]).<ref name=":0" />
=== Other Fatimid palaces and facilities around the palaces ===
Throughout the Fatimid period various other minor palaces and establishments were also built in the areas surrounding the caliphs' palaces. To the south of both palaces were a set of stables.<ref name="Raymond1993" /> The [[vizier]]'s palace, the ''Dar al-Wizara,'' was located northeast of the Eastern Palace, on the site of the current [[Khanqah of Baybars II|Khanqah of Sultan Baybars al-Jashnakir]] and the Madrasa of Amir Qarasunqur.<ref name=":1" /> It was built by the vizier [[Al-Afdal Shahanshah|al-Afdal]] (son of the famous vizier [[Badr al-Jamali|Badr al-Gamali]]) after 1094.<ref name="Raymond1993" /> Caliph [[Al-Hakim bi-Amr Allah|al-Hakim]] (between 996 and 1021) or [[Al-Amir bi-Ahkam Allah|al-Amir]] (in 1116)<ref name="Raymond1993" /> added next to the southern end of the Western Palace an academy known as the ''Dar al-'ilm'' (roughly "House of Knowledge/Science").<ref name=":4" /> Another palace known as ''al-Qasr al-Nafi'i'' was located to the south of the eastern palace on a site occupied today by the 19th-century ''Wikala al-Silahdar'' inside Khan al-Khalili.<ref name=":12" /> The Fatimids also built leisure palaces along the shores of the [[Nile]], such as the ''Lu'lu'a'' or Pearl Palace built by [[Al-Aziz Billah|al-'Aziz]] and rebuilt by [[Ali az-Zahir|al-Zahir]]. (It was later used as the residence for Salah ad-Din's father.)<ref name=":4" /> The mother of al-'Aziz also built a large palace within [[City of the Dead (Cairo)|al-Qarafa]], the vast necropolis and cemetery of the main city of [[Fustat]] to the south.<ref name=":22" />
== The palaces after the Fatimids ==
[[File:Demaagh15.png|link=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Demaagh15.png|thumb|An [[iwan]] in the [[Bimaristan|maristan]] (hospital) of Sultan [[Al-Mansur Qalawun|Qalawun]] which incorporates remains from the Fatimid Western Palace which previously stood here.]]
Cairo was definitively opened to all people under the rule of [[Saladin|Salah ad-Din]] (Saladin), who dismantled the Fatimid Caliphate in 1171 and embarked on the construction of a new fortified Citadel (the current [[Cairo Citadel|Citadel of Cairo]]) further south, outside the walled city, that would house Egypt's rulers and state administration. This ended Cairo's status as an exclusive palace-city and started a process by which the city became an economic center inhabited by everyday Egyptians and frequented by foreign travelers.<ref name=":12" /> The old Fatimid palaces in the city became obsolete as caliphal residences and were opened up to redevelopment. Salah ad-Din initially transformed them into residences for the [[Ayyubid dynasty|Ayyubid]] aristocracy as well as into madrasas, a khanqah, and a hospital.<ref name=":23">Behrens-Abouseif, Doris. 2007. ''Cairo of the Mamluks: A History of Architecture and its Culture''. Cairo: The American University in Cairo Press.</ref> The Ayyubid sultans [[al-Kamil]] and [[As-Salih Ayyub|al-Salih]] built important madrasas in different areas of the site of the former palaces. In the [[Mamluk Sultanate (Cairo)|Mamluk]] period the transformation of the area continued and most of the palaces disappeared and were replaced with various urban structures, and transformed into new city neighbourhoods. Some remnants of the palace remained standing for centuries after the fall of the Fatimids. The mausoleum of the Fatimid Caliphs, for example, was finally demolished in the late 14th century by Jaharkas al-Khalili to make way for the [[Khan el-Khalili|Khan al-Khalili]], at the heart of the [[souq]]/bazaar area still present today.
Nonetheless, the main north-south street of Cairo, the ''Qasaba'' ([[Muizz Street|al-Muizz Street]]), remained a fixture and the former area of Bayn al-Qasrayn remained a privileged site for the construction of royal architectural complexes such as the [[Qalawun complex|Maristan-Mausoleum-Madrasa complex of Sultan Qalawun]]. The Bayn al-Qasrayn square itself, however, steadily disappeared and became essentially another stretch of the Qasaba street, as construction on either side filled up the previously open space.<ref name="Raymond1993" />
== Remnants of the palaces today ==
Practically nothing remains of the palaces today, other than the occasional toponym and a few minor remnants. Most of the buildings in the Bayn al-Qasrayn area were built on top of the foundations or ruins of the palaces. One of the main courtyards in the [[Bimaristan|maristan]] (hospital) of Sultan [[al-Mansur Qalawun]] (built in 1285) incorporates remnants of the Western Fatimid Palace, in particular some carved [[stucco]] windows in its eastern [[iwan]], probably part of what was originally a palace courtyard which had four iwans arranged in a cross formation.<ref name=":1" /><ref name="Raymond1993" /> Likewise, the lobed fountain in the middle of the courtyard of Qalawun's madrasa (in the same complex) also belonged to that palace.<ref name=":1" /> The 13th-century Madrasa of al-Salih Ayyub was built in part over the former kitchens of the palace.<ref name=":1" /> The [[Khanqah of Baybars II|Khanqah of Sultan Baybars al-Jashnakir]] (built in 1306-13010) and the Madrasa of Amir Qarasunqur (built in 1300) stand on the site of the former residence of the Fatimid viziers, which faced a western gate of the Eastern Palace.<ref name=":23" /> The old Ayyubid minaret at the entrance of the al-Hussein Mosque is built over one of the Fatimid Eastern Palace's former gates, the ''Bab al-Akhdar'', as the shrine of al-Hussein was originally adjoined to the palace.<ref name=":1" />
Some artifacts and architectural fragments from the Fatimid Great Palaces are now on display [[Museum of Islamic Art, Cairo|Cairo's Museum of Islamic Art]], including wooden panels and beams found in the [[Madrassa of Al-Nasir Muhammad|Madrasa of al-Nasir Muhammad]] and in the [[Qalawun complex|Hospital-Madrasa-Mausoleum complex of Qalawun]].<ref name=":2">O'Kane, Bernard (with contributions by Mohamed Abbas and Iman R. Abdulfattah). 2012. ''The Illustrated Guide to the Museum of Islamic Art in Cairo''. Cairo, New York: The American University in Cairo Press.</ref><ref name=":1" />
== See also ==
* [[Fatimid Caliphate]]
* [[Bayn al-Qasrayn]]
* [[Aqmar Mosque|al-Aqmar Mosque]]
== References ==
== History and description ==
=== Overview ===
[[File:The story of Cairo (1906) (14782234955).jpg|thumb|328x328px|A plan of [[Fatimid Caliphate|Fatimid]] Cairo (before 1200 CE), as reconstructed by [[Stanley Lane-Poole]].]]
The [[Fatimid Caliphate|Fatimids]] were originally based in [[Tunisia]] and conquered [[Egypt]] in 969 [[Common Era|CE]] with a North African [[Kutama]] army under the command of the general [[Gawhar al-Siqilli|Jawhar al-Siqilli]]. In 970, Jawhar was responsible for planning, founding, and constructing a new city to serve as the residence and center of power for the Fatimid Caliphs. The city was named ''al-Mu'izziyya al-Qaahirah'', the "Victorious City of [[Al-Mu'izz li-Din Allah|al-Mu'izz]]", later simply called "al-Qahira", which gave us the modern name of [[Cairo]].<ref name=":22"></ref> The city was located northeast of [[Fustat]], the existing capital and main city of Egypt. Jawhar organized the city so that the caliphal palace complex was at its center, in addition to the main mosque, [[Al-Azhar Mosque|al-Azhar]], to the southeast. The palace complex consisted of two main parts: the '''Great Eastern Palace''', the first to be laid out in 970 by Jawhar for the arrival of the triumphant Caliph [[Al-Mu'izz li-Din Allah|al-Mu'izz]], and the '''Western Palace''', which was added under his successor, Caliph [[Al-Aziz Billah|al-'Aziz]] (ruled 975-996).<ref name=":22" /> Together they served as the residences of the caliphs and their family throughout the Fatimid period, and were thus also known as the ''Dar al-Khalifa''.<ref name=":4"></ref> Information about the layout and appearance of these palaces comes from a few written reports and especially from the chronicles of the [[Arabs|Arab]] historian [[Al-Maqrizi|Maqrizi]] and of the [[Persian People|Persian]] traveler [[Nasir Khusraw|Nasir e-Khosrow]].<ref name=":4" />
The two palaces faced each other across an open square or plaza which became known as ''[[Bayn al-Qasrayn]]'' (meaning "Between the Two Palaces"), on a pattern repeated from the original Fatimid royal city at [[Mahdia|al-Mahdia]], [[Tunisia]].<ref name=":22" /><ref>Çelik, Zeynep, Diane G. Favro, and Richard Ingersoll, eds. Streets: Critical Perspectives on Public Space. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1994, p. 72</ref><ref name=":4" /> This square was rectangular and measured 105 by 255 meters, taking up over two-and-a-half [[Hectare|hectares]].<ref name="Raymond1993">Raymond, André. 1993. ''Le Caire''. Fayard.</ref> It had great public and symbolic significance, and was the site of various ceremonies related to the dynasty. The grand official entrance to the Great Eastern Palace, known as ''Bab al-Dhahab'' ("The Golden Gate") was located here.
=== The Great Eastern Palace ===
The Great Eastern Palace was the largest palace and is believed to have occupied about 9 [[Hectare|hectares]], or one-fifth of the total area of Cairo.<ref name="Raymond1993" /><ref name=":4" /> It was begun under al-Mu'izz and finished under al-'Aziz, although work of various kinds continued for decades, even under [[Al-Hakim bi-Amr Allah|al-Hakim]] and under the [[vizier]] [[al-Ma'mun al-Bata'ihi]] in the 12th-century.<ref name=":4" /><ref name="Raymond1993" /> The palace was open to the rest of the city through nine gates (3 to the west, 1 to the north, 3 to the east, and 2 to the south)<ref name="Raymond1993" />, but it was also separated from the city around it by gardens and open squares. This vast but secluded layout in the center of the city kept with a tradition, already established by the Abbasid Caliphs, of isolating the caliph from the public sphere.<ref name=":0"></ref> Members of the Isma'ili religious establishment (scholars and clerics) were also housed in or around the palace, which had its own [[Mu'azzin|muezzin]] and thus did not rely on the [[Adhan|call to prayer]] of the al-Azhar Mosque.<ref name=":4" />
The Eastern Palace was composed of many great halls, the most important of which were preceded by their own courtyards (called ''dihliz'').<ref name=":4" /> The palace also featured many gardens or courtyards, often bordered by [[Portico|porticos]] and featuring pavilions and fountains, where court life unfolded. Visitors who wrote about the palaces reported marble pavements of different colors, central fountains, gold fixtures and ornamentation, and animals on display to impress guests.<ref name="Raymond1993" />
The palace's official grand entrance was through its central western gate called ''Bab al-Dhahab'' ("The Golden Gate"), which opened off the [[Bayn al-Qasrayn]] plaza. It apparently featured gold brought from [[Ifriqiya|Ifriqiyya]] (present-day Tunisia).<ref name="Raymond1993" /> Above the gate was a balcony at which the caliph could appear before his subjects.<ref name=":22" /> This entrance led to the "Golden Hall" (''Qa'at al-Dhahab'' or ''Dar al-Dhahab'') via a long vaulted passage of around 30 meters long.<ref name="Raymond1993" /> The Golden Hall acted as a throne room and was where the Caliph held his daily audience and where official receptions and religious festivals took place.<ref name=":22" /><ref name=":4" /> Another important hall was known as the Great Iwan, which was crowned by a dome. This was the venue were the clerics and missionaries (''[[da'i]]'') of the [[Isma'ilism|Isma'ili]] religious establishment would hold sermons for the palace residents, as well as some of the most important religious festivals too. In this hall the sultan's seat was hidden behind a screen or grille known as the ''Shubbak al-Khalifa'' ("Caliph's Window").<ref name=":4" /> Both the Golden Hall and the Great Iwan were built or completed under al-'Aziz.<ref name=":4" /><ref name="Raymond1993" />
About one quarter of the palace, to the northeast, was taken up by a great square called ''Rahbat al-'Eid'' ("The Festival Square"), measuring 157 by 105 meters, which was the starting point for the caliph's procession when leaving the palace.<ref name="Raymond1993" /> One of the eastern gates, called ''Bab al-Zumurrud'' ("the Emerald Gate"), opened off this square and gave access to the part of the palace known as the Emerald Palace, the private residence of the caliph.<ref name="Raymond1993" /> Another gate opening off the southern side of the square was called ''Bab al-'Eid''. An arsenal hall, called ''Khizanat al-Bunud'' (roughly the "Arsenal of Banners/Flags"), lay to the east of the palace, as did a gate known as ''Bab Qasr al-Sharq''.<ref name="Raymond1993" /> The southeastern gate, ''Bab Daylam'', led to the monument that later became the shrine of al-Hussein (see below), while the southwestern gate was called ''Bab Turbat al-Za'faraan'', after the name of the adjacent royal mausoleum (see below).<ref name="Raymond1993" /> The southwestern part of the palace was occupied by the kitchens, which also provided food for the poor during the fasting month of [[Ramadan]]. The southernmost of the western gates, located here, became known as ''Bab Zuhuma'', named after the odors of food emanating from the kitchens.<ref name="Raymond1993" /> The only northern gate of the palace, ''Bab al-Rih'' ("Gate of the Wind"), was the entrance used by the ''da'i''s (missionaries). This gate may also have been the last one to disappear in the post-Fatimid period, having survived at least until 1408 and having been seen by [[Al-Maqrizi|Maqrizi]].<ref name="Raymond1993" />
In the 12th century, the vizier [[al-Ma'mun al-Bata'ihi]] (in office from 1122-1125) added three more pavilions to the palace. He was also responsible for building the [[Aqmar Mosque|al-Aqmar Mosque]], which still stands today, at the northwestern edge of the palace.<ref name="Raymond1993" />
==== The mausoleum: ''Turbat al-Za'faraan'' ====
Attached to the southern end of the eastern palace was a mausoleum known as ''Turbat al-Za'faraan'' ("the Saffron Tomb"), which served as the burial site of the caliphs.<ref>Lev, Y. 2001. "Aspects of the Egyptian Society in the Fatimid Period". In Vermeulen, Urbain & J. van Steenbergen (eds.). ''Egypt and Syria in the Fatimid, Ayyubid, and Mamluk Eras III: Proceedings of the 6th, 7th and 8th International Colloquium Organized at the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven in May 1997, 1998, and 1999''. Peeters Publishers. p. 20.</ref><ref name="Raymond1993" /> Even the remains of the Fatimid Caliphs in Tunisia were transferred here when the caliphate moved to Egypt.<ref name=":4" /> One of the palace's southern gates, west of Bab Daylam The tombs were eventually completely demolished by the [[Mamluk Sultanate (Cairo)|Mamluk]] [[Emir|amir]] Jaharka al-Khalili to make way for the [[Khan el-Khalili|Khan al-Khalili]] in the late 14th century, which gave its name to the surrounding [[souq]] area still present today.<ref name=":12"></ref><ref name=":1"></ref> Jaharkas reportedly disposed of the bones of the Fatimid royal family by throwing them into the rubbish hills east of the city.<ref name="Raymond1993" />
Also adjacent to the caliphs' mausoleum was the later 12th-century shrine which allegedly housed the head of [[Husayn ibn Ali|Hussein]], the son of [[Ali ibn Abi Talib|'Ali]] who was slain at the [[Battle of Karbala]] in 680 and is revered as a martyr by [[Shia Islam|Shi'as]]. His head was originally believed to be interred at [[Ashkelon|Ascalon]] but the Fatimids brought it to Cairo in 1153 when Ascalon was threatened by [[Crusades|Crusaders]].<ref name=":1" /><ref name="Raymond1993" /> Since the [[Isma'ilism|Isma'ili]] Fatimids claimed descent through Hussein's mother, [[Fatimah|Fatima]], the creation of this shrine was an important symbolic and religious act.<ref name=":4" /> The shrine still exists today (albeit rebuilt many times) in the [[al-Hussein Mosque]], which is heavily visited by Muslims.<ref name=":1" />
=== The Western Palace ===
The smaller Western Palace (sometimes referred to as the Lesser Palace<ref name="Raymond1993" />) was initially built as a residence for one of Caliph al-'Aziz's daughters, [[Sitt al-Mulk]] (who was also ''[[de facto]]'' ruler between 1021 and 1023).<ref name="Raymond1993" /> It covered about 4.5 hectares and had two wings which wrapped around the south and north sides of the [[Bayn al-Qasrayn]] plaza.<ref name="Raymond1993" /> Less is known overall about this palace, as it was quickly replaced by other structures in the post-Fatimid era.<ref name="Raymond1993" /> The palace was built on the site of a vast, previously-existing garden called ''Kafur al-Ikhshidi'' (or ''al-Bustan al-Kafur''), which was originally established here by the [[Ikhshidid dynasty|Ikhshidids]], the rulers of Egypt before the Fatimids. The western part of the garden was retained for the Fatimids' pleasure and initially reserved for the caliph's family.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":4" /> The Eastern and Western Palaces, as well as these gardens to the west, were all connected by large underground tunnels that allowed the caliphs to get from one to the other by horse.<ref name=":4" /><ref name="Raymond1993" /> The Western Palace was refurbished in 1064 by Caliph [[Al-Mustansir Billah|al-Mustansir]] who intended to house the [[Abbasid Caliphate|Abbasid Caliphs]] here in exile while their caliphate in [[Baghdad]] was in crisis (though this purpose was never served).<ref name="Raymond1993" /> The palace was also known as ''Qasr al-Bahr'' ("Palace of the Sea/River") in reference to the fact that it fronted the [[Canal of the Pharaohs|ancient canal]] (the ''Khalij'') which passed next to Cairo (and which once extended to the [[Red Sea]]).<ref name=":0" />
=== Other Fatimid palaces and facilities around the palaces ===
Throughout the Fatimid period various other minor palaces and establishments were also built in the areas surrounding the caliphs' palaces. To the south of both palaces were a set of stables.<ref name="Raymond1993" /> The [[vizier]]'s palace, the ''Dar al-Wizara,'' was located northeast of the Eastern Palace, on the site of the current [[Khanqah of Baybars II|Khanqah of Sultan Baybars al-Jashnakir]] and the Madrasa of Amir Qarasunqur.<ref name=":1" /> It was built by the vizier [[Al-Afdal Shahanshah|al-Afdal]] (son of the famous vizier [[Badr al-Jamali|Badr al-Gamali]]) after 1094.<ref name="Raymond1993" /> Caliph [[Al-Hakim bi-Amr Allah|al-Hakim]] (between 996 and 1021) or [[Al-Amir bi-Ahkam Allah|al-Amir]] (in 1116)<ref name="Raymond1993" /> added next to the southern end of the Western Palace an academy known as the ''Dar al-'ilm'' (roughly "House of Knowledge/Science").<ref name=":4" /> Another palace known as ''al-Qasr al-Nafi'i'' was located to the south of the eastern palace on a site occupied today by the 19th-century ''Wikala al-Silahdar'' inside Khan al-Khalili.<ref name=":12" /> The Fatimids also built leisure palaces along the shores of the [[Nile]], such as the ''Lu'lu'a'' or Pearl Palace built by [[Al-Aziz Billah|al-'Aziz]] and rebuilt by [[Ali az-Zahir|al-Zahir]]. (It was later used as the residence for Salah ad-Din's father.)<ref name=":4" /> The mother of al-'Aziz also built a large palace within [[City of the Dead (Cairo)|al-Qarafa]], the vast necropolis and cemetery of the main city of [[Fustat]] to the south.<ref name=":22" />
== The palaces after the Fatimids ==
[[File:Demaagh15.png|link=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Demaagh15.png|thumb|An [[iwan]] in the [[Bimaristan|maristan]] (hospital) of Sultan [[Al-Mansur Qalawun|Qalawun]] which incorporates remains from the Fatimid Western Palace which previously stood here.]]
Cairo was definitively opened to all people under the rule of [[Saladin|Salah ad-Din]] (Saladin), who dismantled the Fatimid Caliphate in 1171 and embarked on the construction of a new fortified Citadel (the current [[Cairo Citadel|Citadel of Cairo]]) further south, outside the walled city, that would house Egypt's rulers and state administration. This ended Cairo's status as an exclusive palace-city and started a process by which the city became an economic center inhabited by everyday Egyptians and frequented by foreign travelers.<ref name=":12" /> The old Fatimid palaces in the city became obsolete as caliphal residences and were opened up to redevelopment. Salah ad-Din initially transformed them into residences for the [[Ayyubid dynasty|Ayyubid]] aristocracy as well as into madrasas, a khanqah, and a hospital.<ref name=":23">Behrens-Abouseif, Doris. 2007. ''Cairo of the Mamluks: A History of Architecture and its Culture''. Cairo: The American University in Cairo Press.</ref> The Ayyubid sultans [[al-Kamil]] and [[As-Salih Ayyub|al-Salih]] built important madrasas in different areas of the site of the former palaces. In the [[Mamluk Sultanate (Cairo)|Mamluk]] period the transformation of the area continued and most of the palaces disappeared and were replaced with various urban structures, and transformed into new city neighbourhoods. Some remnants of the palace remained standing for centuries after the fall of the Fatimids. The mausoleum of the Fatimid Caliphs, for example, was finally demolished in the late 14th century by Jaharkas al-Khalili to make way for the [[Khan el-Khalili|Khan al-Khalili]], at the heart of the [[souq]]/bazaar area still present today.
Nonetheless, the main north-south street of Cairo, the ''Qasaba'' ([[Muizz Street|al-Muizz Street]]), remained a fixture and the former area of Bayn al-Qasrayn remained a privileged site for the construction of royal architectural complexes such as the [[Qalawun complex|Maristan-Mausoleum-Madrasa complex of Sultan Qalawun]]. The Bayn al-Qasrayn square itself, however, steadily disappeared and became essentially another stretch of the Qasaba street, as construction on either side filled up the previously open space.<ref name="Raymond1993" />
== Remnants of the palaces today ==
Practically nothing remains of the palaces today, other than the occasional toponym and a few minor remnants. Most of the buildings in the Bayn al-Qasrayn area were built on top of the foundations or ruins of the palaces. One of the main courtyards in the [[Bimaristan|maristan]] (hospital) of Sultan [[al-Mansur Qalawun]] (built in 1285) incorporates remnants of the Western Fatimid Palace, in particular some carved [[stucco]] windows in its eastern [[iwan]], probably part of what was originally a palace courtyard which had four iwans arranged in a cross formation.<ref name=":1" /><ref name="Raymond1993" /> Likewise, the lobed fountain in the middle of the courtyard of Qalawun's madrasa (in the same complex) also belonged to that palace.<ref name=":1" /> The 13th-century Madrasa of al-Salih Ayyub was built in part over the former kitchens of the palace.<ref name=":1" /> The [[Khanqah of Baybars II|Khanqah of Sultan Baybars al-Jashnakir]] (built in 1306-13010) and the Madrasa of Amir Qarasunqur (built in 1300) stand on the site of the former residence of the Fatimid viziers, which faced a western gate of the Eastern Palace.<ref name=":23" /> The old Ayyubid minaret at the entrance of the al-Hussein Mosque is built over one of the Fatimid Eastern Palace's former gates, the ''Bab al-Akhdar'', as the shrine of al-Hussein was originally adjoined to the palace.<ref name=":1" />
Some artifacts and architectural fragments from the Fatimid Great Palaces are now on display [[Museum of Islamic Art, Cairo|Cairo's Museum of Islamic Art]], including wooden panels and beams found in the [[Madrassa of Al-Nasir Muhammad|Madrasa of al-Nasir Muhammad]] and in the [[Qalawun complex|Hospital-Madrasa-Mausoleum complex of Qalawun]].<ref name=":2">O'Kane, Bernard (with contributions by Mohamed Abbas and Iman R. Abdulfattah). 2012. ''The Illustrated Guide to the Museum of Islamic Art in Cairo''. Cairo, New York: The American University in Cairo Press.</ref><ref name=":1" />
== See also ==
* [[Fatimid Caliphate]]
* [[Bayn al-Qasrayn]]
* [[Aqmar Mosque|al-Aqmar Mosque]]
== References ==
November 06, 2019 at 07:15PM
