The architecture was a means of expressing social responsibility and humanitarian care during the Ottoman period...

Abd al-Rahman Katkhuda: He built and renovated approximately eighteen mosques in Egypt, the Levant, and the Hejaz...

Sabil-Kuttab of Abd al-Rahman Katkhuda – Inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List

In 1979

The Sabil-Kuttab of Abd al-Rahman Katkhuda was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List as part of Islamic Cairo.

This inscription underscores its historical, architectural, and cultural significance. It also reinforces the state's efforts to preserve the building and protect it from deterioration. Furthermore, it offers visitors and researchers the opportunity to explore Ottoman architectural styles and the social functions these structures performed in the community of old Cairo. The inscription of the Sabil-Kuttab on the World Heritage List reflects the human and cultural value of Islamic Cairo and emphasizes the importance of preserving these historical landmarks as living testaments to the history of public services and unique architectural design. It also highlights the role played by Mamluk and Ottoman princes in enriching the urban life of the city and strengthening its cultural and religious identity over the centuries

Who was Prince Abd al-Rahman Katkhuda?

To begin: Is Katkhuda his family name, or a title he held in Egypt during that period?

"The Katkhuda of Egypt" means Governor of Egypt. Originally an architect, Prince Abd al-Rahman Katkhuda was one of the greatest patrons of the architectural movement during the Ottoman era, and perhaps the most active in the entire history of Cairo. Many monuments bear his name, possibly more than ten.

His Full Name

Prince Abd al-Rahman ibn Hasan Jawish al-Qazdaghli

He lived during the era of

Ali Bey al-Kabir

What was his position in Egypt?

He rose through the military ranks until he became the commander of the army.

In 1737,

he was promoted to the rank of Jawish, then Bash Jawish.

The meaning of the word Jawish:

A family name from the remnants of Ottoman rule, it was a military rank equivalent to a promotion. The word is of Mongolian origin, "Jawish." It is pronounced: Shawish, Jawish.

In 1744,

Katkhuda was appointed governor of Egypt, and Ali Bey al-Kabir exiled him for thirteen years.

In 1776,

he was exiled to the Hejaz for twelve years. He then returned to Egypt and was buried in his mausoleum at Al-Azhar Mosque. He died shortly afterward at the age of seventy.

Al - Sabil and Kuttab of Abd al-Rahman Katkhuda

The general Description of the Sabil and Kuttab

The Sabil and Kuttab of Abd al-Rahman Katkhuda is one of the most important landmarks on Al-Muizz Street. It provides drinking water for passersby and is considered one of the most prominent Ottoman landmarks in the Egyptian capital. It reflects the Mamluk princes' concern for public facilities and community services, demonstrating how architecture served as a means of expressing social responsibility and humanitarian care during the Ottoman period. It illustrates how Ottoman architecture combined beauty with public utility and serves as an example of the attention given to social and environmental life in earlier eras. It embodies the ability of Islamic architecture to adapt to the needs of society and provide sustainable services over time.

The main entrance

to the sabil is located on Al-Tumbakshiya Street, to the left of the qibla facade.

Above the entrance is an inscription containing verses of poetry, the name of the founder, and the date of construction using the Abjad numeral system.

There is also a square area

containing a circle with the names of the Companions of the Cave below the archway.

The public fountain (sabil) was considered the role of the princes in community partnership at that time

The public fountain and the kuttab (Quranic school) contributed to enhancing the social life of Cairo's inhabitants throughout the ages. These structures served as meeting points for passersby and local residents, and they provided drinking water for the needy and travelers. This reflects the social role played by the princes in providing public services that embodied human values ​​within the city's urban fabric, which earned the building great fame and respect among the people of Cairo.

The Location

The Sabil of Katkhuda, which was often surmounted by a Quranic school (kuttab), is located at the intersection of Bein al-Qasreen and al-Tumbakshiya streets in the al-Nahhasin district, on al-Muizz Street.

The Date of Construction

Its construction dates back to 1157 AH (1744 CE).

Who Designed the Building?

The building was designed by a pioneering Egyptian architect named Abd al-Rahman Katkhuda in 1744. Sabils and kuttabs were common in Cairo at that time.

In 1152 AH (1739 CE),

Prince Abd al-Rahman Katkhuda replaced Suleiman Jawish as the Sirdar (or Commander-in-Chief) after the latter became notorious for corruption and bribery.

What are Sabils?

The public fountains are considered social facilities not for travelers and merchants. Their purpose was to facilitate access to drinking water. They are charitable establishments and works whose reward is ongoing. They spread throughout the Arab and Islamic countries, the Arabian Peninsula, Mecca, Medina, Egypt, and Damascus. They may build houses next to them to shelter passers-by and wayfarers. The first construction of public fountains in Egypt in the Mamluk era was at the beginning of the sixth century AH - the twelfth century AD. Most of them were the works of princes, sultans, and their wives as if they were atonement for sins and transgressions. The rich also built these public fountains as an ongoing charity for themselves, their children, or one of their deceased relatives. Under them was a cistern filled with water used for drinking. Passers-by of all nationalities and religions, including Christians, Jews, and foreigners, were allowed to use them, and the water never ran out.

The Exterior Architecture of the Katkhuda Sabil

The sabil was built in a style that blends Ottoman and Mamluk architecture. It represents a distinctive example of Ottoman architecture, featuring intricately decorated stone facades and an engraved base surrounding calligraphic inscriptions and commemorative plaques. The adjacent kuttab (Quranic school) is distinguished by its opening onto passageways, providing easy access to water. Its floral and geometric decorations showcase the precision and refined artistry prevalent among craftsmen in the 18th century, giving the building both an aesthetic and functional character.

The exterior architecture of this sabil consists of three stone facades

The main facade on the northwest side includes a main entrance overlooking Al-Tumbakshiya Street. This entrance is a recessed stone structure covered by a sash arch, surrounded by a bas-relief. Below this arch are two identical stone benches, between which is a wooden doorway. Above the doorway is a marble lintel bearing inscriptions. Above the lintel is a niche with a muqarnas cornice, at the forefront of which is a rectangular window with a metal grille. This window is flanked by two spiral columns, each flanked by a cypress tree. The niche terminates below the arch's cap with a square space containing a central circle. This circle is surrounded by a bas-relief with four interlocking decorative elements at the corners. Between these elements and the corners of the square are vegetal decorations in the form of a wreath of flowers in the Rococo style.

The following is included in the Sabil

The Sabil and Kuttab of Katkhuda belonged to an independent architectural complex. This complex brought together many masterpieces of Ottoman Islamic architecture and consists of:

The Rare Kashani tiles

covering its walls, including a complete panel depicting a view of the Kaaba, surrounded by an exquisite frame adorned with floral motifs. The panel itself is a rectangular Kashani containing twelve square tiles in shades of blue, green, and yellow on a white background. Below this panel is a depiction of a mihrab with a hanging niche. The complex also features magnificent geometric designs in the decorative details of the arches of the sabil windows, crafted from fine marble in various colors.

A cistern or reservoir

It constructed underground to store water, above which is a room for dispensing water to basins located within the fountain's windows along the road. Passersby could drink from cups placed on shelves in front of the fountain's windows. Above the fountain is a book for teaching children reading, writing, and arithmetic, and for memorizing the Quran. These schools served the same purpose as modern primary schools. The fountain is distinguished by its location, as well as its architectural and decorative design.

The Dispensing Room

This rectangular room has three facades, each with a copper window. Marble panels stand outside the windows, designated for holding drinking jugs for passersby. The interior walls of the fountain are covered with ceramic tiles (kashani), whose decorations vary between Ottoman floral motifs, a depiction of the Holy Mosque in Mecca, and calligraphic inscriptions such as "Whenever Zechariah entered the sanctuary," "O Opener of Doors, open for us the best of doors," and other inscriptions.

A House

Six shops

Abd al-Rahman Katkhuda's Construction in Egypt

He built eighteen mosques and many other buildings in Cairo

He restored a large number of Mamluk mosques and schools

As for Abd al-Rahman Katkhuda's efforts in the architecture of Al-Azhar Mosque, they are as follows:

The expansions of Al-Azhar Mosque are considered his most important architectural works, as he built within the mosque:

He constructed a gate at the end of Al-Azhar Street

He inscribed verses on its exterior, embellished with gold, including the date of its construction.

He built a spacious hall containing:

Fifty marble columns on the eastern side of the mosque

He created a courtyard

In which he built his tomb

A mausoleum

Measuring half its length and width, containing fifty marble columns, and roofed with fine wood.

He built for orphans:

At the top of the mosque, an office with arched vaults on marble columns, to teach orphans the Holy Quran.

He built a new mihrab.

He built a new minbar.

He erected a grand gate facing the Kutama quarter.

He renovated the Taybarsiyya Madrasa.

And he built two new minarets

Among the notable deeds of Abd al-Rahman Katkhuda:

He was the first to set up communal iftar tables in front of his house during Ramadan.

As al-Jabarti described, large bowls filled with meat and broth would be brought out of Prince Abd al-Rahman Katkhuda's palace at iftar time to be given to the poor. He appointed a supervisor to give each needy person two loaves of bread and some money for suhoor.

He was the first to arrange for woolen clothing for the blind poor,

which he would give them before the arrival of winter each year.

He also arranged for the muezzins of the mosques to wear ihrams (garments)

to protect them from the winter cold when they ascended the minarets for the dawn prayer.

The death of Abd al-Rahman Katkhuda

The architect, Prince Abd al-Rahman Katkhuda, passed away in the month of Safar. He was given a grand funeral attended by scholars, merchants, muezzins of the mosques, and students at the schools he had established. The funeral prayer was held for him at Al-Azhar Mosque.

They said about him

Al-Jabarti described him as "the master builder"

He was nicknamed "the prince of builders

He was also known as:

The Prince of Generosity

The master builder of buildings

in Egypt and Syria.