Qubba Gani Bak al-AshrafiCairo, Egypt
The Mausoleum of Amir Gani Bak al-Ashraf, built in 1426-27, is adjacent to the Mausoleum of his master, al-Ashraf Barsbay, in the Northern Cemetery. Although Gani Bak had provided for his burial in the complex he built in the city, the amir was much beloved by the sultan and his remains were interred in this new tomb. The carved stone dome of the mausoleum is one of the earliest with an interlacing star pattern on its exterior. The two-dimensional geometrical designs were brilliantly adjusted to the challenging structure of the late Mamluk dome characterized by a steep rise contracting to a pointed apex. This was a shift from the dominant zig-zag moldings of stone domes from this period, such as that on the dome of the mausoleum which Barsbay built as part of his foundation on al-Mu'izz Street (1425).
Sources:
Behrens-Abouseif, Doris. "Change in Function and Form of Mamluk Religious Institutions." Annales Islamologiques 21 (1985): 73-93.
Behrens-Abouseif, Doris. Islamic Architecture in Cairo. Leiden: E. J. Brill, 1989.
Fernandes, Leonor. “The Evolution of the Khanqah Institution in Mamluk Egypt.” Ph.D. diss., Princeton University, 1980.
Fernandes, Leonor. "Three Sufi Foundations in a 15th c. Waqfiyya." Annales Islamologiques 17 (1981): 141-156.
Ibrahim, Laila 'Ali. "The Transitional Zones of Domes in Cairene Architecture." Kunst des Orients. 10 (1975): 5-23.
Jarrar, Sabri, András Riedlmayer, and Jeffrey B. Spurr. Resources for the Study of Islamic Architecture. Cambridge, MA: Aga Khan Program for Islamic Architecture, 1994.
Meinecke, Michael. Die Mamlukische Architektur in Ägypten und Syrien (648/1250 bis 923/1517). Glückstadt: Verlag J. J. Augustin, 1992.
Williams, Caroline. Islamic Monuments in Cairo:The Practical Guide, 214-215. Cairo: The American University in Cairo Press, 2002.
The Mausoleum of Amir Gani Bak al-Ashraf, built in 1426-27, is adjacent to the Mausoleum of his master, al-Ashraf Barsbay, in the Northern Cemetery. Although Gani Bak had provided for his burial in the complex he built in the city, the amir was much beloved by the sultan and his remains were interred in this new tomb. The carved stone dome of the mausoleum is one of the earliest with an interlacing star pattern on its exterior. The two-dimensional geometrical designs were brilliantly adjusted to the challenging structure of the late Mamluk dome characterized by a steep rise contracting to a pointed apex. This was a shift from the dominant zig-zag moldings of stone domes from this period, such as that on the dome of the mausoleum which Barsbay built as part of his foundation on al-Mu'izz Street (1425).
Sources:
Behrens-Abouseif, Doris. "Change in Function and Form of Mamluk Religious Institutions." Annales Islamologiques 21 (1985): 73-93.
Behrens-Abouseif, Doris. Islamic Architecture in Cairo. Leiden: E. J. Brill, 1989.
Fernandes, Leonor. “The Evolution of the Khanqah Institution in Mamluk Egypt.” Ph.D. diss., Princeton University, 1980.
Fernandes, Leonor. "Three Sufi Foundations in a 15th c. Waqfiyya." Annales Islamologiques 17 (1981): 141-156.
Ibrahim, Laila 'Ali. "The Transitional Zones of Domes in Cairene Architecture." Kunst des Orients. 10 (1975): 5-23.
Jarrar, Sabri, András Riedlmayer, and Jeffrey B. Spurr. Resources for the Study of Islamic Architecture. Cambridge, MA: Aga Khan Program for Islamic Architecture, 1994.
Meinecke, Michael. Die Mamlukische Architektur in Ägypten und Syrien (648/1250 bis 923/1517). Glückstadt: Verlag J. J. Augustin, 1992.
Williams, Caroline. Islamic Monuments in Cairo:The Practical Guide, 214-215. Cairo: The American University in Cairo Press, 2002.