Salaheddin gets a facelift
The Citadel of Salaheddin, Cairo's nerve centre for almost 700 years and currently one of Egypt's main tourist attractions, is under restoration. Nevine El-Aref visited the site
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Workers repairing the machine of the gingerbread clock; the clock's tower maintained with scaffoldings for restoration
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Six months ago a fire completely destroyed a warehouse in the Bab Al-Azab area near the Citadel, serving as a wake-up call for the revival of the scheduled development programme and illustrating the need to implement fire and rescue contingency plans within the historical fortress. "This year will be devoted to restoring and refurbishing many sections of the Citadel," said Zahi Hawass, secretary-general of the Supreme Council of Antiquities (SCA).
He said the project will encompass the restoration of Youssef's Water Well, the gingerbread clock, the mosque of Al-Nasser Mohamed Ibn Qalawon, and the prison area. "We will not concentrate on these buildings alone," he said, "the development project will also extend beyond the surrounding walls."
The first step in the plan is a major clean-up. The SCA has commissioned a professional cleaning organisation to clear the area and the monuments of dust and garbage on a daily basis.
In 1983 a large-scale restoration and refurbishment programme was initiated by the Egyptian Antiquities Organisation -- now the Supreme Council of Antiquities. The plan was to turn it into a major cultural and tourist centre.
During the initial stages of the project, carried out by a team of Egyptian restorers assisted by student volunteers, extensive repairs were carried out on the Ayyubid walls and towers of the northern enclosure , as well as some monuments within the fortress, including several mosques. The programme lost momentum in subsequent years and only now, after the fire, is experiencing rejuvenation.
During the current restoration project at the Mosque of Mohamed Ali -- built in the Turkish imperial style -- workers have raised scaffolding to the level of the "gingerbread" clock. Two workers are now busy cleaning the intricate carvings adorning the structure, which include ears of corn and lotus flowers, while others are busy replacing the broken stained glass.
Mostafa Khalifa, the director-general of the Citadel archaeological zone, said that this copper clock was the first electronic clock to be introduced to the Middle East. "It was a gift, along with a chandelier, from King Louis Philippe V of France to Mohamed Ali in 1846, in exchange for the obelisk that now stands in the Place de la Concorde in Paris," he said, adding that, "it is one of the most beautiful and noteworthy features of the Citadel. Until it was brought to Egypt the Arabs were using the mazwala (the sand watch)".
This is the third time the clock has been repaired. Mohamed Abdel-Latif, who is responsible for Islamic antiquities in the SCA's permanent committee for antiquities, said that the first time was during King Fouad's reign, and the second time was during the reign of his son, Farouk. "Then the clock stopped and did not work again until early this year, when the French government offered to return it to its original state."
The project, Khalifa explained, entails refurbishing the three levels of the tower, which was originally built by Mohamed Ali to house the magnificent clock. The first two levels are constructed of wood and decorated with copper plant motifs and coloured stained glass; this is currently being restored. The third level, which contains the clock and the movement, has been temporarily removed while work is in progress.
The second site receiving attention is Youssef's Water Well located on the east side of Al-Nasser Mohamed Ibn Qalawon Mosque. It is a rock-hewn well 97 metres deep, consisting of two levels connected via a spiral staircase. Khalifa explained that the well's wooden water wheel will be restored and illuminated with cool lighting for a dramatic effect.
The well was dug during the Graeco-Roman era, "but when Salaheddin ordered his engineer Bahaaeddin Ibn Qaraqosh to construct the Citadel, the well fell within its walls," said Abdel-Latif. "It is popularly known as Prophet Joseph's well, but in fact Joseph (Youssef) is actually one of Salaheddin's names," he explained.
The well was enlarged during Salaheddin's reign and the rock stairs were covered with earth so that donkeys could carry the water up and down the ramp. Two aqueducts also supplied the Citadel with water; water was discharged near the base of the hill and then raised to the top by a series of water wheels. Because this type of supply would be uncertain during a siege, the well was designed to act as a water source in the event of attack. "Due to erosion, most of the well's features have disappeared, but the plan is to restore it as much as possible to its original form," said Khalifa.
Also under restoration is the neighbouring Mosque of Al-Nasser Mohamed; its green domes and minarets are covered with wooden scaffolding to enable restorers to clean and polish them. The prison area adjacent to the military museum will be converted into a creative arts centre and open- air museum dedicated to the administration of jails in Egypt throughout the ages.
Hamdi El-Setouhi, the architect responsible for this project, said that each of the 40 remaining cells will be lit to imitate lighting from a window, and a life-sized model of a prisoner, as well as sleeping bag and food, will be used to show conditions under which prisoners were kept. "The execution room will be converted into a workshop for artists and an exhibition hall," he said.
This museum, which was constructed on the site of the Al-Ablaq Palace of Al-Nasser Mohamed by Al-Zaher Bebars, was one of the two toughest prisons in Egypt, said Abdel-Latif. He explained that a number of Egypt's intellectuals and writers had been imprisoned there until their release by President Anwar Sadat, after which it was converted in part to a military museum. The second most infamous prison in Egypt was Khazanette Shamael, now the Mo'ayad Sheikh Mosque. Abdel-Latif explained that the Mameluk Sultan Mo'ayad Sheikh converted this prison into a mosque because he had been imprisoned there before becoming sultan. After experiencing the brutal conditions inside, he vowed to convert it into a mosque.
"What was once a prison will become a centre for intellectual life," said Hani Maher, an architect involved in the project.
"All the encroachment on the edge of the Citadel will be removed and a special lighting system will be installed around the Citadel walls ," said Salah Shaqwir, the Citadel's general director.
