Fatimid Architecture For Mid-Term Exam - PTX

The Fatimid architecture - 909-1167
The Fatimids are of Arab origin and ruled territories across the Mediterranean coast of Africa. The name is
derived from Fatimah, the daughter of the Prophet, from whom the Faṭimids claimed descent.
They hail from an Ismaili Shia and established capital cities in Tunis (Mahdia 921–948 and Al-Mansuriya 948–973) and
Egypt ( Cairo 973–1169). The Ismaili get their name from their acceptance of Imam Ismaʻil ibn Jafar as the spiritual
successor (imām) to Ja'far al-Sadiq, as opposed to the Usuli Shi'ah, Akhbaris, and Bektashis,
The Fatimids ultimately made Al-Qahira in Egypt the center of the caliphate. At its height the caliphate
included Egypt as well as varying areas of the Maghreb, Sudan, Sicily, the Levant, and the Hijaz.
Fatimid architecture combined elements from the east and west, drawing on Mesopotamian, Abbasid,
Byzantine, Ancient Egyptian, Coptic and North African architectural traditions; it bridged different early
Islamic styles and introduced many innovations.
the Fatimids introduced unique features such as the four-centered keel arch and the squinch, connecting
square room layout to the circular base of the dome. Their mosques followed the riwaq plan, where a central
courtyard was surrounded by arcades with their roofs usually supported by keel arches, resting on columns
with Corinthian order capitals.
The Fatimid architecture - 909-1167
They typically had features such as portals that protrude from the wall, domes above mihrabs and qiblas, and façade
ornamentation with iconographic inscriptions, and stucco decorations. The woodwork of the doors and interiors of the
buildings was often finely carved. The Fatimids also made considerable development towards mausoleum building. The
Mashhad, a shrine that commemorates a descendant of the Islamic prophet, was a characteristic type of Fatimid
architecture.
The heartland of architectural activity and expression during Fatimid rule was at al-Qahira, the old city of Cairo, on the
eastern side of the Nile, where many of the palaces, mosques and other buildings were built. Al-Aziz Billah (ruled 975–
996) is generally considered to have been the most extensive of Fatimid builders, credited with at least thirteen major
landmarks including the completion of the Great Palaces, the Cairo Mosque, a fortress, a belvedere, a bridge and public
baths.
Several surviving tombs, mosques, gates and walls, mainly in Cairo, retain original elements, although they have been
extensively modified or rebuilt in later periods. Notable extant examples of Fatimid architecture include the Great
Mosque of Mahdiya, and the Al-Azhar Mosque, Al-Hakim Mosque, Al Aqmar Mosque and Juyushi Mosque on
Almuqatam Hill in Cairo.
Three Fatimid-era gates in Cairo, Bab al-Nasr (1087), Bab al-Futuh (1087) and Bab Zuweila (1092), built under the
orders of the vizier Badr al-Jamali (r. 1074–1094), have survived. Though they have been altered over the centuries, they
have Byzantine architectural features, with little trace of the eastern Islamic tradition.
he Fatimid general, Jawhar al-Siqilli, built a new palace city near to the old capital of Fustat upon conquering Egypt in
969, which he at first called al-Mansuriya after the capital in Tunisia. When al-Mu'izz arrived in 973, the name was
changed to al-Qāhira (Cairo). The new city incorporated elements of the design of al-Mansuriya, although it was
rectangular rather than circular in plan. Both cities had mosques named al-Azhar after Fatima al-Azhraa, and both had
gates named Bab al-Futuh and Bab Zuwaila. Both cities had two palaces, for the caliph and for his heir, opposite and
facing each other.
The palaces of the Caliphs, their greatest architectural achievements, have been destroyed and are known only from
written descriptions
The characteristic architectural styles of Fatimid mosques include portals that prject from the wall, domes above mihrabs
and qibla riwaqs, porches and arcades with keel-shaped arches supported by a series of columns, façade ornamentation
with iconographic inscriptions and stucco decorations. The mosques followed the riwaq plan, where a central courtyard
was surrounded by arcades with their roofs usually supported by keel arches, initially resting on columns with Corinthian
capitals. The arches held inscription bands, a style that is unique to Fatimid architecture. The Fatimid architects built
modified versions of Coptic keel-arched niches with radiating fluted hoods, and later extended the concept to fluted
domes
Al-Aqmar Mosque - 1125
Al-Aqmar Mosque was built during the caliphate of Al-
Mustansir. The mosque is located in the northern part of
Muizz Street. It is notable for its façade, which is elaborately
decorated with inscriptions and geometric carving.
It is the first mosque in Cairo to have such external decoration

and also the first whose external façade is at a different angle
than the alignment of the mosque's interior (which is oriented
to the qibla) in order to follow the alignment of the street.
Two inscription bands run along the façade. The one at the
top has a historic text referring to the Caliph Al-Mustansir in
whose reign the mosque was built, and the lowe band
underneath the hooded portal niche has a Quranic text.
Another special feature of this façade is a chamfered corner
with the names of Muhammad and Ali.
Al-Aqmar Mosque - 1125
The minaret was built in the late fourteenth century by Amir

Yalbugha Al-Salimi. It is a brick construction covered with
a molding and a stalactite cornice. The structure above the
balcony is of more recent date.
Al-Aqmar Mosque, 1125
Al-Aqmar Mosque, Cairo, 1125 A.D.
Al-Aqmar Mosque, Cairo, 1125 A.D.
The Chamfered Corner with Muqarnas Transition.
This detail represents a significant development in
the use of Muqarnas to achieve transition between
different geometries.

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The Fatimid architecture - 909-1167

It is the first mosque in Cairo to have such external decoration

The minaret was built in the late fourteenth century by Amir

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