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About

Salah Al-Din Al-Ayyubi 

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digital graphic

Saladin_Al_Ayyubi_Calligraphy.png

patron

 Cairo

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Cairo.jpg

place

gate

Egypt

The Gate of al-Mudarraj, one of the two original gates of the Citadel, was the main entrance to the enclosure from the city. It was built in 579/1183-1184 during the reign of Salah al-Din, probably under the direction of Salah al-Din's Amir, Qaraqush. Its name refers to steps carved in the rock path that leads from the horse market to the gate. Sources: MacKenzie, Neil D. 1992. Ayyubid Cairo: A Topographical Study. (Cairo: AUC Press),p. 60. Rabbat, Nasser O. 1989. The Citadel of Cairo. (Geneva: AKTC).

Import

Vivek Agrawal and Sonit Bafna

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35 mm slide

IHC0033

Bab al-Mudarraj

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IHC0034

Qal'a (Cairo)

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IAA15696

Gate of al-Mudarraj

Variant

al-Bab al-Mudarraj

Bab al-Mudarrag

Bab al-Mudarag

Gate of Mudarraj

See<a href="https://www.archnet.org/collections/2355" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"> Timeline: Ayyubid</a> ﻿Medieval dynasty which ruled Syria, Palestine, Iraq. Egypt and Yemen during the 12th-13th c./5th-6th c. AH &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The founder of the dynasty was Shirukh, a Kurdish retainer of the Zengid prince Nur al-Din. First Shirukh secured the governorship of Aleppo and later was appointed vizier to the Fatimid ruler of Egypt. Shirukh was succeeded by his nephew Salah al-Din who rapidly extended his position and became ruler of Egypt, Syria and northern Iraq whilst he appointed his brother ruler of Yemen. Salah al-Din's greatest accomplishment was the defeat of the Crusaders and the reconquest of Jerusalem. Salah al-Din died in 1189/584 AH and his empire fragmented under his successors who ruled various parts of the empire until the mid-13thc./6th c. AH.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Ayyubid architecture was dominated by the need to combat two enemies: the Crusaders in Palestine and the rising threat of Shi'ism and religious dissension. To combat the Crusaders a network of fortresses was built which rivalled those of the Crusaders both in size and technical sophistication. Amongst the best examples of Ayyubid military architecture are Qal'at Rabad at Ajlun in Jordan and Qal'at Nimrud at Banyas in Syria. In addition the fortification of citadels was improved and the famous gateway of the Aleppo Citadel dates from this period. Some of the techniques of fortification were learned from the Crusaders (curtain walls following the natural topography), although many were inherited from the Fatimids (machicolations and round towers) and some were developed simultaneously (concentric planning). Shi'ism was an equally dangerous threat to the Ayyubids who built a large number of madrassas in both Syria and Egypt. In Egypt the Ayyubids had to reintroduce religious orthodoxy after two centuries of government-imposed Shi'ism. In Syria there was a so a growing threat of Shi'ism in the form of the Assassins who had benefited from the confusion of the Crusader conflict. The Ayyubids tried to promote Sufism as an orthodox alternative and began to build khanqas and Sufi shrines to provide a focus for these activities. Petersen, Andrew.&nbsp;Dictionary of Islamic Architecture.&nbsp;London and New York: Routledge, 1999.

Bab al-MudarrajCairo, Egypt

Bab al-Mudarraj
Cairo, Egypt