2 - 8 May 2002
Issue No.584
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Al-Ahram Weekly Online 2 - 8 May 2002 Issue No.584 |
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Debating a dome
Major restoration currently in progress on the Al-Ghouri complex in mediaeval Cairo has triggered a controversy between the project's contractors, antiquities officials and archaeologists. The problem lies with the dome of the mausoleum, says Nevine El-Aref
The historic buildings of Islamic Cairo are living monuments, part architectural and urban heritage, with an atmosphere all their own. Tourists flock to stroll, observe and absorb this sense of history.
top: Culture Minister Farouk Hosni and Zahi Hawass, director-general of the SCA, on an inspection tour of the Al-Ghouri complex. Right: A view of Al-Ghouri's mausoleum and mosque
photos: Mohamed Wassim
One of the most interesting of these monuments is the complex of Sultan Qunsuah Al-Ghouri, the last but one of the Mameluke sultans, who enjoyed a long reign and died in 1516 fighting the Ottoman Turks. The complex, described by historians as the largest complete Islamic monument in the world, comprises a palace, mosque, wekala (commercial outlet), sabil (water fountain), kuttab (Qur'anic school) and the sultan's mausoleum.
To save this fine structural example of distinguished Mameluke architecture from certain decay, an ambitious restoration scheme was launched almost 10 years ago by the Ministry of Culture as part of its plan to preserve Egypt's Islamic heritage. The mosque was lucky enough to be one of the first beneficiaries of the programme, and its completion was followed by attention to the other buildings in the complex. All went well until the question of the dome of the mausoleum -- which is missing -- was raised. Soon the contractors, engineers and antiquities officials on the one hand -- who are pushing for its reconstruction -- and archaeologists on the other -- who are completely opposed to such an idea -- were at daggers drawn.
Before examining the controversy, it is noteworthy to point out that the mausoleum of Al-Ghouri is separate from the mosque, which is on the adjacent corner, and is distinguished by its unfinished cupola and a sabil-kuttab (where the ground floor is a fountain, above which is a school), a fine example of Mameluke architecture; the façade has three latticed bays topped by stone panels. Looking from the vestibule of the mausoleum, the funeral chamber containing the body of Al- Ghouri's successor, Toman Bey, is on the right, while on the left is a prayer hall with three iwans (arcades) evenly distributed around the raised and covered part of a lantern.
The interior of the sabil-kuttab is highly decorative, with marble floors and ceiling supported by rounded, painted and gilt beams. "The two structures together, the mausoleum and mosque, have been referred to as the most impressive in Cairo," Minister of Culture Farouk Hosni says.
"It is very important to reconstruct the dome of the mausoleum," says Abdallah El-Attar, head of the Islamic and Coptic Antiquities department in the Supreme Council of Antiquities (SCA). He wonders why some archaeologists reject the idea as unsound. "On the contrary," El-Attar argues, "having a dome on the
top will protect the whole building from damage. The concrete and cement ceiling on top of the mausoleum is a time bomb which could topple it into oblivion."
However, Gamal Abdel-Rahman, professor of archaeology for Islamic Art at Cairo University, disagrees. He sees reconstructing the dome as too dangerous and a further threat to a monument already suffering environmental problems -- pollution and encroachment, not to mention the continuous vibration from heavy traffic.
So, on the one hand is El-Attar, who would have a new wooden cupola decorating Al-Ghouri's original shobok (stalactites), which would be not only add beauty to the mausoleum but, in his opinion, would also release the building from the extra load on its walls and foundation. On the other is Abdel- Rahman, who contends that, because the soil underneath the mausoleum is weak and could become unstable, constructing a dome could lead to its collapse and thus the demolition of the mausoleum itself. "A reconstruction would diminish the beauty and splendour of the monument. It would just be a cheap copy of Al-Ghouri's original dome," he says.
El-Attar commented that the vibrations caused by car engines and underground trains were not making a negative impact on the ground under the monuments, and could not cause its level to change or lead to their collapse. "This aspect was addressed while the Al-Azhar Tunnel was being dug and proved to be nonsense," El-Attar said, adding that engineers would strengthen and consolidate the soil underneath the monument before adding an inch of the new dome.
Project consultant engineer El-Sayed El-Qassabi is supporting El-Attar, and does not see the planned dome, which would be built in the most lightweight material available and consist of a base and a helmet, as a threat. He points to the fact that the building was not damaged by the previous fallen domes. "The original domes actually collapsed on three occasions in the past; the first in Al-Ghouri's time in 1512, the second in 1881 and the third in 1934 during King Fouad's reign, but with the help of the latest technology the dome currently under construction will be more stable than before. It will last forever," El- Qassabi promised.
But Mokhtar El-Kassabani, a professor of archaeology at Cairo University, has voiced the view that reconstructing the dome would be a wrong decision by the Ministry of Culture for three reasons. First, it was against the international Venice Convention and the UNESCO charter, which stipulates that no work should be executed on a monument unless that monument is in dire need of it. In this case, El-Kassabani says, the dome will not add much to the mausoleum. Second, the monument has a long history of reconstructed domes having collapsed for unknown reasons. "This suggests that there is a fatal constructional error by the engineer who originally built the mausoleum," he says. Third, El- Kassabani says that there is no documentation to indicate the exact shape of the original dome, and that the dome drawn in La Déscription de l'Egypte is not a valid depiction because the dome did not exist when the French expedition invaded Egypt.
The archaeologist in charge of the restoration project, Ayman Abdel-Moneim, insists that no attempt should be made to reconstruct the dome until the reasons behind its continuous collapse in previous ages are determined.
To put an end to the seemingly unresolvable debate, Hosni has assigned a temporary committee comprising archaeologists, engineers, antiquities officials and academics along with experts in soil mechanic to discuss the issue in depth. It is hoped they will come up with a final decision.
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