For full reading citations, please see the readings section. And for a printable version of this calendar, please click here (PDF). Part 1 - Beginnings - History, Geography, and Religion
1 | Egypt from Alexander to the Islamic Conquest
History and geography. The Nile and the site of Cairo. The legacy of ancient Egypt. Egypt on the eve of Islam Hellenism. Christianity and the Copts. The coming of Islam: Arabia and Egypt. | Behrens-Abouseif, Doris. Islamic Architecture of Cairo: An Introduction. Leiden: Brill, 1989, pp. 3-34 and 47-57.
Raymond, Andre. Cairo. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press, 2000, pp. 7-30.
Kaegi, Walter. "Egypt on the Eve of the Muslim Conquest." In The Cambridge History of Egypt. Vol. 1, Islamic Egypt 640-1517. Edited by Carl F. Petry. Cambridge, 1998, pp. 34-61.
Rodenbeck, Max. Cairo: The City Victorious. New York: Knopf, 1999, pp. 1-56.
Abu-Lughod, Janet. Cairo: 1001 Years of the City Victorious. Princeton, 1971, pp. 3-25.
Briggs, Martin. Muhammadan Architecture in Egypt and Palestine. New York, reprint 1974, pp. 47-62.
"Kahira." In Encyclopedia of Islam. 2nd ed. Vol. 4.
Dickie, James. "Allah and Eternity: Mosques, Madrasas, and Tombs." In Architecture of the Islamic World: Its History and Social Meaning. Edited by G. Michell. pp. 65-79. | 2 | Foundation of al-Fustat
What is a misr? The Mosque of ‘Amru ibn al-‘As: the first mosque in Africa. The vocabulary of the mosque: the minaret, the mihrab and the minbar. The Nilometer. | 3 | Abbasids and Tulunids (8th and 9th Century)
Imperial ambitions: Ibn Tulun and al-Ikhshid. The foundation of al-Qata‘i. The Mosque of Ibn Tulun. Buildings of the Ikhshidids. |
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Part 2 - Age of the Caliphate - The Fatimids
4 | The Foundation of Fatimid al-Qahira
The first walls of al-Mu‘izz Fatimid palaces. Comparison with contemporary Islamic cities. | Behrens-Abouseif, Doris. Islamic Architecture of Cairo: An Introduction. Leiden: Brill, 1989, pp. 58-77.
Raymond, Andre. Cairo. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press, 2000, pp. 31-79.
Briggs, Martin. Muhammadan Architecture in Egypt and Palestine. New York, reprint 1974, pp. 63-75.
Rabbat, Nasser. The Citadel of Cairo: A New Interpretation of Royal Mamluk Architecture. Leiden: E. J. Brill, 1995. pp. 1-17.
———. "Al-Azhar Mosque: An Architectural Chronicle of Cairo's History." Muqarnas 13 (1996): 45-67.
Bloom, Jonathan. "The Mosque of al-Hakim in Cairo." Muqarnas 1 (1983): 15-36.
Idem. "The Mosque of the Qarafa in Cairo." Muqarnas 4 (1987): 7-20.
Behrens-Abouseif. "The Façade of the Aqmar Mosque in the Context of Fatimid Ceremonial." Muqarnas 9 (1992): 29-38.
Williams, Caroline. "The Cult of the 'Alid Saints in the Fatimid Monuments of Cairo. Part 1: The Mosque of al-Aqmar." Muqarnas 1 (1983): 37-52.
Idem. "The Cult of the 'Alid Saints in the Fatimid Monuments of Cairo. Part 2: The Mausolea." Muqarnas 3 (1985): 39-60. Bierman, Irene. Writing Signs: The Fatimid Public Text. Berkeley, 1998. pp. 1-59.
Sanders, Paula. Rituals, Politics and the City in Fatimid Cairo. N.Y., 1994. pp. 39-67. | 5 | Fatimid Mosques in Cairo
New traditions and old forms. The Azhar Mosque and the institution of religious learning. Mosques of al-Hakim, al-Aqmar, and al-Salih Tala‘i. The centrality of the mosque in a classical Islamic urban setting. | 6 | Late Fatimid Period (1074-1171)
The Cult of Saints: mashhads and mausolea. Genealogy as a propaganda tool for the Fatimids. The evolving function of the dome. The appearance of the muqarnas: decorative purposes and symbolic meanings. The defenses of Cairo. The walls of Badr al-Jamali. The gates of Cairo and the question of regional influences. The Crusades, the fall of the Fatimids, and the rise of Salah al-Din. |
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Part 3 - Rise to Prominence - Ayyubids and Bahri Mamluks
7 | The Ayyubid Period (1171-1250) - The City and the Citadel
The relationship of the citadel to the city. The emerging importance of the citadel as the residence of the ruler. The Roda Citadel and the urban development of Cairo in the Ayyubid period. | Behrens-Abouseif, Doris. Islamic Architecture of Cairo: An Introduction. Leiden: Brill, 1989, pp. 35-44 and 78-132.
Abu-Lughod, Janet. Cairo: 1001 Years of the City Victorious. Princeton, 1971. pp. 27-36.
Raymond, Andre. Cairo. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press, 2000, pp. 80-164.
Garcin, Jean-Claude. "Outsiders in the City." In The Cairo Heritage. Papers in Honor of Layla Ali Ibrahim. Edited by Doris Behrens-Abouseif. Cairo: AUC Press, 2001, pp. 7-15. Briggs, Martin. Muhammadan Architecture in Egypt and Palestine. New York, reprint 1974, pp. 76-109, 145-64. (Domestic Architecture).
Rabbat, Nasser. The Citadel of Cairo: A New Interpretation of Royal Mamluk Architecture. Leiden: E. J. Brill, 1995, pp. 283-95.
Idem. "Mamluk Throne Halls: Qubba or Iwan." Ars Orientalis 23 (1993): 201-18.
———. "The Changing Concept of Mamluk in the Mamluk Sultanate in Egypt and Syria." In Slave Elites in the Middle East and Africa: A Comparative Study. Edited by Miura Toru and John Edward Philips. London and New York: Kegan Paul International, 2000, pp. 81-98.
Fernandes, Leonor. "The Foundation of Baybars al-Jashankir: Its Waqf, History, and Architecture." Muqarnas 4 (1987): 21-42.
Grabar, Oleg. "Reflections on Mamluk Art." Muqarnas 2 (1984): 1-12.
al-Harithy, Howyda. "The Complex of Sultan Hasan in Cairo: Reading between the Lines." Muqarnas 13 (1996): 68-79.
Idem. "The Patronage of al-Nasir Muhammad ibn Qalawun, 1310-1341." Mamluk Studies Review 4 (2000): 219-36.
Denoix, Sylvie. "A Mamluk Institution for Urbanization: The Waqf." In The Cairo Heritage, pp. 191-202.
Humphreys, R. Stephen. "The Expressive Intent of the Mamluk Architecture in Cairo: A Preliminary Essay." Studia Islamica 35 (1972): 69-119.
Homerin, Th. Emil. "Saving Muslim Souls: The Khanqah and the Sufi Duty in Mamluk Land." Mamluk Studies Review 3 (1999): 59-83.
Ibrahim, Laila A. "Residential Architecture in Mamluk Cairo." Muqarnas 2 (1984): 47-59.
Williams, John Alden. "Urbanization and Monument Construction in Mamluk Cairo." Muqarnas 2 (1984): 33-45. | 8 | Transforming the Religious Landscape of Cairo in the Ayyubid Period
Ayyubid architecture and the Sunni Revival. The mausoleum of al-Imam al-Shafe‘i. The introduction of the madrasa. The Madrasa of al-Salih Najm al-Din Ayyub. The political and social functions of the madrasa. The mausoleum of the ruler. | 9 | Early Mamluk Period (1250-90)
The Bahri Mamluks: continuity and change. A brief introduction to the Mamluk system. The Mosque of al-Zahir Baybars and traditional forms. The Complex of Qalawun and the Syrian import. | 10 | The Reign of Sultan al-Nasir Muhammad (1293-1341)
The apogee of medieval Cairo. The City under al-Nasir Muhammad. The charitable institutions of al-Nasir Muhammad's princes. The Waqf system. | 11 | The Late Bahri Period (1341-82)
Mamluk Madrasas and Khanqahs and the problem of the Four-Iwan Plan. The royal madrasas on the main thoroughfare of Cairo The Madrasas of Sultan Hasan. | 12 | The Development of Residential Architecture in Bahri Cairo
Residential and palatial architecture. A brief survey of residential architecture up to the Mamluk period. Royal and princely palaces of the fourteenth century. |
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Part 4 - Afterglow of Empire - Burji Mamluks and Ottomans
13 | Burji Mamluk Architecture in the City
The urban character of Mamluk architecture. The mosques, madrasas, and mausolea of the Burji Sultans Urban complex from Barquq to Khayer Bak. | Behrens-Abouseif, Doris. Islamic Architecture of Cairo: An Introduction. Leiden: Brill, 1989, pp. 133-67.
Raymond, Andre. Cairo. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press, 2000, pp. 165-288.
Abu-Lughod, Janet. Cairo: 1001 Years of the City Victorious. Princeton, 1971, pp. 37-79.
Briggs, Martin. Muhammadan Architecture in Egypt and Palestine. New York, reprint 1974, pp. 110-44. Rabbat. "Maqrizi's Khitat: An Egyptian Lieu de Mémoire." In The Cairo Heritage. pp. 17-30.
Behrens-Abouseif. "The 'Abd al-Rahman Katkhuda Style in 18th Century Cairo." Annales Islamologiques 26 (1992): 117-26.
Kessler, Christel. "The Carved Masonry Domes of Medieval Cairo." Cairo, 1976.
Idem. "Funerary Architecture within the City." In Colloque International sur l'Histoire du Caire. 27 Mars-5 Avril 1969, pp. 257-67.
Campo, Juan Eduardo. The Other Sides of Paradise: Explorations into the Religious Meanings of Domestic Space in Islam. Columbia, S C, 1991, pp. 74-94.
Bierman, Irene. "Art and Architecture in the Medieval Period." In The Cambridge History of Egypt. Vol.1, Islamic Egypt 640-1517. pp. 339-74.
Berkey, Jonathan. "Culture and Society during the Late Middle Ages." In The Cambridge History of Egypt. Vol. 1, Islamic Egypt 640-1517. pp. 375-411.
Gillispie, Charles, and Michael Dewachter, eds. Monuments of Egypt: the Napoleonic Edition: the Complete Archaelogical Plates from la Description de l'Égypte. Princeton, 1987, pp. 1-30. | 14 | Burji Mamluk Architecture in the Northern Qarafa
The growth of Cairo and the development of the Qarafas. The royal charitable complexes from Umm Anuk to Qaytbay The Mamluk style. The development of the dome, the minaret, and the Qa‘a under the Mamluks. The development of Mamluk decorative techniques and patterns. | 15 | Ottoman Architecture in Cairo - The Age of the Governors
The coming of the Ottomans. The urban changes in Cairo from the sixteenth to eighteenth centuries. Ottoman mosques in Cairo: wavering between the local and the official. | 16 | Ottoman Architecture in Cairo - The Age of the Mamluk Beys
Cairene Ottoman houses. The stabilization of a hybrid type. Comparison with houses of other Ottoman provinces. The legacy of the pre-modern city. The French expedition and the Description de l'Égypte. |
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Part 5 - Modernization and After - Muhammad 'Ali to the Present
17 | Cairo From Napoleon to Muhammad `Ali
The architectural and urban works of Muhammad Ali. The Mosque at the Citadel. The Westernization of the palatial architecture. | Behrens-Abouseif, Doris. Islamic Architecture of Cairo: An Introduction. Leiden: Brill, 1989, pp. 167-70.
Abu-Lughod, Janet. Cairo: 1001 Years of the City Victorious. Princeton, 1971, pp. 83-117.
Raymond, Andre. Cairo. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press, 2000, pp. 291-377.
Idem. "Cairo." In The Modern Middle East. Edited by A. Hourani, P. Khoury and M. Wilson. Berkeley, 1993, pp. 311-37.
Lane, Edward William. Cairo Fifty Years Ago. Edited by Stanley Lane-Poole. London, 1896.
al-Asad, Mohammad. "The Mosque of Muhammad 'Ali in Cairo." Muqarnas 9 (1992): 39-55.
Idem. "The Mosque of al-Rifa'i in Cairo." Muqarnas 10 (1993): 108-24.
Asfour, Khaled. "The Domestication of Knowledge: Cairo at the Turn of the Century." Muqarnas 10 (1993): 125-37.
Michael Meinecke, ed. Islamic Cairo: Architectural Conservation and Urban Development of the Historic Centre. AARP, June 1980, pp. 8-46.
Ilbert, Robert, and Mercedes Volait. "Neo-Arabic Renaissance in Egypt, 1870-1930." Mimar 13 (1984): 26-34.
Rabbat, Nasser. "Writing the History of Islamic Architecture of Cairo." Design Book Review 31 (Winter 1994): 48-51.
Idem. "The Formation of the Neo-Mamluk Style in Modern Egypt." In The Education of the Architect: Historiography, Urbanism and the Growth of Architectural Knowledge.
Pollak, Martha. Essays Presented to Stanford Anderson on his Sixty-Second Birthday. Cambridge, Mass.: MIT Press, 1997, pp. 363-86.
Idem. "Restoration Projects in Islamic Cairo Critiqued." Medina 13 (May-June 2000): 48-51.
Lewcock, Ronald. "Working with the Past." In Theories and Principles of Design in the Architecture of Islamic Societies. AKPIA, 1988, pp. 87-96.
Williams, Caroline. "Islamic Cairo: Endangered Legacy." Middle East Journal 39, no. 3 (1985): 231-246.
Bierman, Irene A. "Urban Memory and the Preservation of Monuments." In The Restoration and Conservation of Islamic Monuments in Egypt. Edited by Jere Bacharach. Cairo: AUC Press, 1995, pp. 1-10.
Rodenbeck, John. "The Present Situation of the Historic City: a Road Not Taken." In The Cairo Heritage. pp. 327-40. | 18 | The Modernization of Cairo
Orientalism and the fascination of Egypt. Ethnographer-painters and the romanticization of Cairo. The Comité de preservation des monuments du Caire and preservation. Cairene architecture in the late nineteenth century. Historicism and the Mamluk revival. Other Orientalizing styles. Cosmopolitan architecture. | 19 | Competing Neo Styles in the Early Twentieth Century
The emergence of vernacular style in the 1940's. | 20 | Historicism in Twentieth-Century Cairo
Cairo's expansion and modernization. The works of Hasan Fathy, Ramses Wissa Wasef, and their students. Population explosion and urban chaos. Problems of preservation and accommodation. The image of Cairo: past and present. |
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