£200 French wine jug is really a £3m Islamic masterpiece
A medieval ewer valued at £200 after being mistaken for a French claret jug fetched more than £3m yesterday after it was identified as a rare Islamic work.
The 1,000-year-old crystal ewer from the Fatimid royal treasury in Egypt, decorated with cheetahs and link chains, is one of only seven such vessels known to have survived. Dating back to the late 10th or early 11th centuries, it was carved from flawless rock crystal, which is as hard as toughened steel.
Leading Islamic art collections, including the Aga Khan Museum in Canada and the Museum of Islamic art in Doha, Qatar, were believed to have placed bids, although the winning buyer is not known.
A palace in heaven
Sheikhu Mosque, a fine 14th century structure in the Mamluk style, was officially re-opened after four years of painstaking conservation work. Across the road, its sister building, the Sheikhu Khanqah was also unveiled.
The mosque and khanqah were named after the Amir Sheikhu, who built them between 1349 and 1355, during the early Mamluk period. “Amir Sheikhu was a military man,” Abdullah Al-Attar, an official from the Ministry of Culture told Daily News Egypt. “Many such princes were quite radical and concerned with power. However, by the end of their lives, they would build mosques in order to purify the negative deeds they had done during their life. They wanted to go to heaven, and in the Quran it says that those who build mosques will have a palace in heaven.”
The detail present in the buildings is indeed impressive. Elaborate Quranic inscriptions in blue and white decorate the ceiling of the main prayer hall in the khanqah. The two minbars (imam’s pulpits) boast delicate carving in stone and wooden mashrabiya screens, while damaged marble floors and mosaics have been patched and re-laid. Everywhere are the distinctive red-and-white-striped arches typical of Mamluk architecture.
The simple prayer rooms contain no furniture, just a few small shelves and a window overlooking the courtyard. In line with the principles spelled out in the UNESCO-inspired plan for salvaging such sites, the rooms will be returned to their original use once the building is handed over to the Ministry of Religious Endowments later this month.
In one corner of the khanqah’s prayer hall sits an enclosed space with a smooth marble floor. As conservator Mamdouh Ouda explained, beneath the floor lies the Amir’s tomb, the stone structure above it having been pilfered at some point by “the common people.” On the walls above the Amir’s resting place are two frescos depicting scenes from Mecca, both of which have been restored to something of their former glory.
These renovations are just the latest in a long line of such works in the area commonly known as Islamic Cairo, which runs roughly from the Northern Gates of the Fatimid city wall down to Ibn Toloun Mosque and the Citadel in the south. Several hundred such monuments from the times of Saladin through to the 19th century have been listed by UNESCO since 1979, and each year a couple of dozens see the light magically renewed.
The primary value of such works is in saving the nation’s cultural and religious heritage. But the government is also very much aware of the area’s potential for boosting tourism.
Excerpted from an article by David Stanford for Daily News Egypt
American Muslims Shifting Ramadan Focus From Food to Community
The ninth month of the Islamic calendar, Ramadan is the time when Muslims believe the Koran was revealed to the Prophet Muhammad. Islam calls for Muslims to abstain from food, drink and sex from dawn to dusk, sharpen their self-discipline and focus on becoming closer to God. Traditionally observed daily with big family or neighborhood meals after sunset, some in smaller Muslim communities are celebrating the holiday just a few times a week. Others, particularly since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, have used the holiday for activism, organizing iftars around Islam-related films or lectures or interfaith events. These changes represent soul-searching by some Muslims about how to create an American Islam, a trend pushed in particular by progressive Muslims seeking gender equity and more engagement with other faiths.
Ramadan remains important to American Muslims, the majority of whom were born outside the country. Fasting during Ramadan is one of the five pillars, or foundations, of Islam and is “very important” to more than three-quarters of American Muslims, according to a Pew Research Center poll released last year.
SCA to take legal action in mosque robbery case
The Supreme Council of Antiquities (SCA) is taking legal action against the workers of Mengak Al Youssefi Mosque after some of the mosque’s antiques located in the citadel area were stolen last Friday. Decorative parts of the menbar (the preacher’s pulpit) of the mosque made of ivory and ebony were stolen along with its doors and platform.
The Ministries of Endowments and Culture were playing the blame game, with neither claiming responsibility for the incident. Hamdy Zaqzouq, Minister of Endowments, said in previous statements that the responsibility in such cases lies also on the antiquities authority that is supposed to supervise these mosques. On the other hand, Minister of Culture Farouk Hosni refuted these allegations saying that the antiquities entity’s role is to reconstruct these mosques and protect them from construction violations. He also called for establishing a department at the Ministry of Endowments to protect these sites and guarantee security presence at all times especially at night when these incidents are likely to occur.
Mengak Al Youssefi Mosque dates back to the Mamluki era and was built in 1349 (750 in the Islamic calendar) by Prince Mengak Al Youssef.
Female genital mutilation common in Egypt despite ban
Six years after female genital mutilation was banned in Egypt, the practice still persists, according to Mohamed Bedaiwy of the Cleveland Clinic Foundation in Ohio, who interviewed 3730 Egyptian girls aged 10 to 14 and found out that eighty five per cent of the girls had been subjected to FGM, almost two-thirds of them by non-medical personnel.
“Female genital cutting is a deep-rooted practice in Egyptian culture, and it will take more than a law to change it,” says Bedaiwy.
His colleagues in Egypt also interviewed the girls’ parents, who said they disobeyed the law to comply with religious and traditional beliefs and curb the sexual drive of their daughters.
The only way to eradicate female genital mutilation in Egypt is for entire communities to agree on abandoning this brutal practice, so that no particular girl or family is singled out. This collective decision can be achieved through counseling parents and religious leaders, according to Paul Van Look of the World Health Organization.
Polish screenwriter seeks religion, better life in Egypt
“There are no drug addicts in Egyptian schools, no problems with drunkenness, no crime on the streets. Life revolves around the family.”
These and his conversion to Islam after a trip to the Middle East in 2000 are the reasons behind Polish screenwriter Piotr Kalwas’ recent move to Alexandria, Egypt, along with his wife and 5 year old son.
Kalwas is well known in his homeland for a popular late 1990s TV show, The World According to the Kiepskis, about a dysfunctional family amid unemployment, alcohol and laziness.
“Our culture is based increasingly on materialism. But a person’s positive traits come from a spiritual culture.”
EGYPT Film: Sex and jealousy
Aiten Amin’s first short movie, “Her Man,” has gained wide acclaim among movie fans and several critics in Egypt. The rising director surprised many Muslim viewers with an unflinching glimpse into the sexual and moral codes of Egypt’s urban poor.
Given her economic dependency on her husband, Zeina, the movie’s leading character, was forced to submit to the latter’s decision to take a younger bride for his second wife and move her into the same house. Yet Zeina’s submission was not complete. Here lies the most incendiary component of the story: To oust her adversary, she slept with her, leaving a mark on her breast to make their common husband, Sobhi, think that his new wife was cheating on him.
The movie is based on a short story by the renowned London-based Egyptian novelist Ahdaf Soueif. It shows how women in a particular social stratum are obsessed with sexuality. This point was well conveyed through the portrayal of the husband. Viewers never see Sobhi’s face, only his hands, lips and hairy chest. By focusing on his flesh, the director showed that the sexual component was a crucial element for the jealous wife.
Since it came out it in January 2007, “Her Man” was screened in many places around the world, including the U.S., France and Italy. It was awarded two prizes at home, including a best-movie prize at a newly launched film festival last week.
Interview: Zahi Hawass
Andrew and Whitney Bayuk’s interview of Zahi Hawass on 28 July 2008 is truly revealing of the many archaeological activities going on in Egypt today. These include research, excavations, restorations, improvements and new projects.
Research:
The 18th dynasty mummies CT scan and DNA research continues. The latest is a much publicized study of the two mummified fetuses at Tutankhamen’s tomb. This research is aimed at establishing the parentage among well reknowned figures such as Akhenaten, Nefertiti and Tutankhamen.
Excavations:
New finds continue to sprout all over Egypt. At Saqqarah, a pyramid of a queen of King Teti and other tombs were found.
At the Valley of the Kings, the entrances of 2 tombs, KV 64 and KV 65 have been cleared and excavation will start in October. One of these could be the Tomb of Ramses VIII. Work at the Tomb of Seti I has revealed that it is even larger than thought, with a possible second chamber at the end of a large tunnel recently discovered.
Evidence of a temple at Deir el Bahari might lead to the discovery of the Tomb of Amenhotep I. And the search continues for the tombs of Queen Nefertiti, Thutmose II, Ramses VIII and all the queens of the 18th Dynasty. The Royal Ladies were not buried in the Valley of the Queens as the tombs here were first built in the 19th Dynasty.
Restoration:
A comprehensive laser survey is being conducted at the Step Pyramid of Djoser. Hawass mentions that “the laser survey is very important. If you need to restore anything we must first record all the stones. And all the stones cannot be recorded without using the laser. The Japanese Team now are doing all the computation for each stone then we can really know what’s weak, what’s strong, this is the only way to restore the pyramid.” Other restoration projects in the area are happening at the Serapeum and the South Tomb.
At Giza, the Pyramid of Menkaure is closed and the Pyramid of Khafre will soon follow. The Great Pyramid of Khufu will remain open with a limit of 300 visitors a day.
At the Valley of the Kings, the Tomb of Tutankhamen closes everyday from 12:00 to 2:00 pm with a limited number of visitors allowed entrance every day.
Improvements:
The entrance at the Giza Plateau now has x-ray security. The unearthed second boat of Khufu is now visible to the public via camera on a TV screen. The boat will be restored and reconstructed.
In Aswan, visitors now have a better experience at the Unfinished Obelisk and the temples of Edfu and Kom Ombo. At Kom Ombo, tourists arrive and see the temple from the water. They can now visit the Crocodile Museum, a new installation dedicated to the animal worshipped at Kom Ombo.
In Amarna, a new modern road will bring visitors in less time. The tombs are improved now, and work is going on the Visitor Center, to introduce the site.
New Projects:
The biggest addition at Giza is the new Grand Museum. The giant statue of Ramses II have been moved there from Ramses Square. The conservation rooms are finished and the construction of the museum will start in October. After its inauguration (5 years?) all 4500 objects from Tutankhamen will be exhibited there as well as most of the objects at the Cairo Museum, which is being transformed into an Open Museum about Egyptian art.
Construction at the Civilization Museum in Old Cairo is finished. Al-Muizz Street in Old Cairo, with its beautiful mosques and houses is now a no car zone and an incredible experience to walk at night.
Near Alexandria, the finished National Museum of Rashid, about the Mameluke period, will soon be opened.
Construction of the Akhenaten Museum in Mynia is finished. It will tell the public about the history of monotheism and its only about Akhenaten and the royal family of Amarna.
Al-Muizz Street becomes a pedestrian zone
Visitors to Al-Muizz Street in Fatimid Cairo will encounter an unfamiliar scene next October. They will be able to stroll along the street without having to worry about traffic. Nor will they have to negotiate the huge pumps that for years blocked the routes of pedestrians as they pumped out subterranean water. These, like the drainage pipes over which visitors once tripped, are no more. A majority of the monuments that line the street have now been restored and the handful that have not are nearing completion.
Now, between 6am and 12 midnight Al-Muizz Street will be a pedestrian zone, allowing people to enjoy the magnificent Islamic monuments within their original environment and experience the traditions and customs of the area’s inhabitants over several centuries. Though access to emergency vehicles will be allowed at all times, shop keepers will only be able to take deliveries in the small hours of the night.
Over the centuries the kilometre-long street became Cairo’s spine, the iconic heart of the city, adorned with monumental buildings embellished with fine mashrabiya, mosaics and decorative domes. Among the most notable buildings are the Sultan Qalawun complex, which consists of a palace, madrasa (school) and hospital, the school of Ibn Barquq and Beit Al-Qadi, the dome of Sultan Al-Saleh Negmeddin, the sabil- kuttab of Khesru Pasha, and the Mohamed Ali Pasha sabil.
Time, though, exacted a heavy toll on these historic buildings. Encroachment and misuse by residents harmed the monuments, environmental pollution undermined foundations and the 1992 earthquake left visible scars across the historic zone.
Transforming Al-Muizz Street into a pedestrian zone is a dream come true, turning the street into the most important attraction in Cairo, the embodiment of Egypt’s tangible and intangible Islamic heritage.
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By N2H
