Sabil wa Kuttab 'Abd al-Rahman KatkhudaCairo, Egypt
The Sabil-Kuttab of 'Abd al Rahman Katkhuda of 1744 was named for its patron, a Mamluk amir and leader of the Egyptian Janissaries. The two-story square structure consists of the fountain within the block of the first level, which is surmounted by space for the school in the form of a two-tiered arcaded pavilion.
The structure sits on a triangular site formed by the splitting of al-Mu'izz Street into two branches. It serves as a visual focus for the termination of this major spine, especially to those approaching it from the monuments of the Qalawunids in the Bayn al-Qasrayn area.
The sabil-kuttab, with its marble mosaics, muqarnas corbeling, voussoirs of alternating colors, and polychrome marble revetment, is characteristic of 'Abd al Rahman Katkhuda's extensive architectural patronage in Cairo, which blended Mamluk and Ottoman architecture and decoration.
Sources:
Behrens-Abouseif, Doris. "The 'Abd al-Rahman Katkhuda Style in 18th century Cairo." Annales Islamologiques 26 (1992): 117-126.
Al-Husayni, Mahmud H. al-Asbilah al-'Uthmaniyya bi-madinat al-Qahira 1517-1798. Cairo: Maktabat Madbuli, 1988.
Jarrar, Sabri, András Riedlmayer, and Jeffrey B. Spurr. Resources for the Study of Islamic Architecture. Cambridge, MA: Aga Khan Program for Islamic Architecture, 1994.
Raymond, André. "Les Constructions de l'Emir 'Abd al-Rahman Katkhuda au Caire." Annales Islamologiques 11 (1972): 235-251.
Raymond, André. "Les fontaines publiques (sabil) du Caire à l'époque ottomane (1517-1798)." Annales Islamologiques 15 (1979): 235-291.
Rogers, Michael. "Al-Kahira." In Encyclopaedia of Islam Leiden: E. J. Brill, 1974.
The Sabil-Kuttab of 'Abd al Rahman Katkhuda of 1744 was named for its patron, a Mamluk amir and leader of the Egyptian Janissaries. The two-story square structure consists of the fountain within the block of the first level, which is surmounted by space for the school in the form of a two-tiered arcaded pavilion.
The structure sits on a triangular site formed by the splitting of al-Mu'izz Street into two branches. It serves as a visual focus for the termination of this major spine, especially to those approaching it from the monuments of the Qalawunids in the Bayn al-Qasrayn area.
The sabil-kuttab, with its marble mosaics, muqarnas corbeling, voussoirs of alternating colors, and polychrome marble revetment, is characteristic of 'Abd al Rahman Katkhuda's extensive architectural patronage in Cairo, which blended Mamluk and Ottoman architecture and decoration.
Sources:
Behrens-Abouseif, Doris. "The 'Abd al-Rahman Katkhuda Style in 18th century Cairo." Annales Islamologiques 26 (1992): 117-126.
Al-Husayni, Mahmud H. al-Asbilah al-'Uthmaniyya bi-madinat al-Qahira 1517-1798. Cairo: Maktabat Madbuli, 1988.
Jarrar, Sabri, András Riedlmayer, and Jeffrey B. Spurr. Resources for the Study of Islamic Architecture. Cambridge, MA: Aga Khan Program for Islamic Architecture, 1994.
Raymond, André. "Les Constructions de l'Emir 'Abd al-Rahman Katkhuda au Caire." Annales Islamologiques 11 (1972): 235-251.
Raymond, André. "Les fontaines publiques (sabil) du Caire à l'époque ottomane (1517-1798)." Annales Islamologiques 15 (1979): 235-291.
Rogers, Michael. "Al-Kahira." In Encyclopaedia of Islam Leiden: E. J. Brill, 1974.