Al-Ahram Weekly 2 - 8 March 2000 Issue No. 471
Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875

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The restoration of Magra Al-Oyoun is underway; Fayza Hassan recalls the history of this unique monument, Nevine El-Aref visits the site and talks with officials about future plans, while Mohamed Wassim captures with his lens the intricacies of the impressive structure

The sultan's water games

Passing through the unimpressive square that is Fumm Al-Khalig, one can sometimes ignore the infernal traffic and only remember the orchards of yesterday

Sultan Al-Ghuri, who is remembered today mostly for his eponymous wikala and his magnificent palace, was a keen city planner and environmentalist, intent on adorning Cairo with fine buildings, but also with many gardens, orchards and green spaces. Around 1503, he turned his attention to the large square situated beneath the Citadel (the Hippodrome or Maydan), which had served as sporting grounds to his predecessors. He raised the enclosing wall and encouraged the construction of palaces, belvederes, pavilions (maq'ads) and covered platforms (dikkas). Two large gates were chained and bolted at night to ensure the security of the area.

The installation at Magra Al-Oyoun

In 1509, the sultan decided to add a proper garden to the square. According to the chronicler Ibn Iyas, he imported from Syria crates of saplings potted in their own soil: there were apple, quince, cherry and pear trees, robust vines as well as white roses, lilies and irises; the flora of the Syrian mountains was completed by a small coconut palm in its pot. Ibn Iyas felt this hippodrome, with its trees and meandering canals filled with running water, compared favourably with the Ghawta of Damascus, writes historian André Raymond (Le Caire, Fayard, 1993).

To water this abundance of greenery, the sultan took drastic measures. He decided to pull down the aqueduct of Old Cairo and build it anew. The engineers elected to place its starting point around what is today Fumm Al-Khalig (the mouth of the canal), from which Al-Khalig Al-Misri also originated. The base of a massive hexagonal intake tower, Burg Al-Saqia, was occupied by a large cistern connected to the Nile; six waterwheels pulled by oxen caused the water to rise in a channel resting on a series of pointed arches. These were supported by tall piers of masonry directed eastward, following the same trajectory as the old aqueduct built by Sultan Al-Nasser. The structure reached Salaheddin's wall then veered towards the north-west, completing its course at the Hippodrome and the Citadel. The new 3,405m-long aqueduct, of which 2,155m had been reconstructed by Al-Ghuri, was completed between May 1507 and October 1508.

Ibn Iyas was impressed but critical: It was a true marvel, he admitted, but the huge sums spent for its construction had been raised through unjust measures, including expropriation.

The aqueduct was repaired in 1727 by Abdi Bek; Napoleon had many of the arches filled and converted into a wall. Finally, in 1810, Mohamed Ali ordered its renovation and a branch was added to service the Southern Cemetery, which ended just near the mosque of Al-Imam Al-Shaf'i. The aqueduct remained in use until 1827, when a modern water system was introduced.

From the Nile to the Citadel

Water will flow once again through the 700-year-old aqueduct in Old Cairo when the project put into effect last week is completed: three phases, as well as plans for development of the area are foreseen

Last week, the Supreme Council of Antiquities (SCA) inaugurated a major project to restore Cairo's ancient aqueduct, Magra Al-Oyoun, and enable it to transport Nile water up to the Citadel for the first time in over two centuries.

This landmark, which runs from Fumm Al-Khalig on the bank of the Nile to the Sayeda Aisha area of Cairo, was built in the reign of Sultan Al-Nasser Mohamed Ibn Qalawun at the beginning of the 14th century. Following a population boom, the need for more water became imperative, and a plan was instigated to construct waterwheels linking up with the great Al-Qanatir barrages north of Cairo, and channeling water to the Citadel and its environs.

Six were installed in the reign of the Mameluke Sultan Al-Ghouri and water flowed through the aqueduct as far as the Citadel of Salaheddin. The aqueduct remained an integral part of the Cairo water system until the middle of the 19th century.

Al-Oyoun; the intake tower the main cistern

In the early 1990s, the SCA began restoration work on the aqueduct, with the aim of turning it into a tourist site. Work involved cleaning the stones, replacing those that were damaged, demolishing houses and workshops that had encroached on the structure, and clearing away refuse in the surrounding area. The project was partially successful, but some buildings and workshops still remained.

Abdallah El-Attar, head of the Islamic and Coptic department at the SCA, told Al-Ahram Weekly that current restoration work will continue along the same lines, using the latest techniques. He explained that the work will be completed within three years at a cost of LE46 million.

The aim of the project is to reinforce the foundation of the aqueduct and protect it from leakage by using the micro- pile system, in which special columns are installed beneath the base of the aqueduct. The structure itself, including blocks, ceiling, and the actual water channel, will be cleaned and restored.

The first phase of the operation will stretch from Ain Al-Sira on the Nile banks to Fumm Al-Khalig Bridge. Here, 650m of the aqueduct, as well as the waterwheels which were used to raise the water from the river, will be restored. The six waterwheels will run mechanically.

The second phase of the project will start immediately following completion of the first. It will deal with another part of the aqueduct, the 800m-long section running from the end of Fumm Al-Khalig Bridge to the tanneries. The third phase will cover the1200m-long part running from the tanneries to Salah Salem Street.

Gaballa Ali Gaballa, secretary-general of the SCA, said the Council has offered the Cairo governorate LE474,000 to provide alternative accommodation to families who will be relocated from the historical zone. According to Mohamed Hashem, area director, 110 houses and workshops at present encroaching on the area will be demolished in two phases. A large wall, constructed in stone similar to that used in the aqueduct, has already been erected three metres from the base of the structure to separate it from the tanneries.

After this project is completed, the area as a whole will be upgraded. Officials expect it will become a great tourist attraction.

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