Sabil wa Kuttab al-Sultan Qaytbay
Cairo, Egypt

The sabil-kuttab, a water fountain surmounted by an elementary school, originated as a charitable foundation incorporated into the corner of a mosque or a madrasa. The sabil-kuttab of Qaytbay, built in 1479, is the first example of a freestanding version of this kind of institution. In the succeeding Ottoman period, this independent structure becomes a favorite type of urban charitable-endowment building. The sabil-kuttab also provides an excellent example of rich surface decoration from the Qaytbay period, like the red, black, and white ablaq courses in the portal.


Sources:


Behrens-Abouseif, Doris. Islamic Architecture in Cairo. Leiden: E. J. Brill, 1989.


Jarrar, Sabri, András Riedlmayer, and Jeffrey B. Spurr. Resources for the Study of Islamic Architecture. Cambridge, MA: Aga Khan Program for Islamic Architecture, 1994.


Mostafa, Saleh Lamei. "The Cairene Sabil: Form and Meaning." Muqarnas 6 (1989): 33-42.

Location
Shari' al-Saliba, Cairo, Egypt
Images & Videos
Associated Names
Events
1479/883-884 AH
Style Periods
1250-1517
Variant Names
Sabil-Kuttab of Sultan Qaytbay
Variant
Sabil wa-Kuttab al-Sultan al-Ashraf Qaytbay
Variant
Building Usages
educational