Sabil and Kuttab of Khusraw Pasha
About the place
- Country : Egypt , Cairo
- Address : Al Moez Ldin Allah Al Fatmi, El-Gamaleya, El Gamaliya, Cairo Governorate
- Category : Baths and Sabil
- Establishing Date : Jumada al-Thani 942 AH / 1535 AD
- founder : Khusraw Pasha
Sabil and Kuttab of Khusraw Pasha
Overview:
It is considered the oldest remaining Ottoman Sabil in Cairo, and the importance of this Sabil is due to the fact that it is the oldest independent sabil which is not attached to other buildings.
Cairo has many unique architectural facilities which is called Sabils and these Sabils were used to store fresh water from the Nile and distribute it to passersby. It is a charitable facility known to all religions.
Historic overview:
It was established by Khusraw Pasha, the Ottoman ruler of Egypt, in Jumada al-Thani 942 AH / 1535 AD.
Architectural description:
The Sabil is independent, not attached to other buildings, and it has two facades on the street: the northwestern and the northeastern façade, which are exactly the same.
The sabil is a rectangular room with windows covered with copper grids, and in the front of each window from the outside there is a marble shelf to put drinking bowls and cups.
The first window, which is the main one, is located on Al-Moez Street, while the other window overlooks Salhiya School on the northeastern side.
The entry to the sabil is through a corridor behind Salihiya school, and inside the sabil is a room called the tasbeel. And with it, people are served, and it is covered with colored marble on various geometric shapes, including squares, triangles, rectangles, circles, and also Rhombus.
Above the sabil, there is Kuttab, it can be reached through a modern iron staircase.
Al-Kuttab: It is located on the upper floor above the sabil, and its northwestern façade extends along the sabil's façade, it consists of two arches, each in the form of a horseshoe, resting on a single column in the middle. The front of the kuttab is crowned by a wood flap.
Resources:
Muhammad Mukhtar, Al-Tawfiqat Al-Ilhamiya, 1311. pp. 471-472.
Mahmoud Al-Husseini, Al-Asbela Al-Othmaniya, pp. 122-126. Abu Al-Hamad Farghali, Dalel Mogaz, p. 208
Abdel-Rahman Zaki, “Al asbelah Al Aathaaryah fi Madenat Al Qahira” Magazine of the Faculty of Archeology, Cairo University; 1977. p.61.
Sada Al Balad newspaper, Issue Sunday, November 17, 2013, by Alaa El-Miniawy
The online Cairo Governorate portal
