Mosque of Muhammad'Ali, View of ablutions fountain
Work Type
Fountain; Mosque; photographs
Location
Egypt, Cairo
Material
black and white photography
Measurements
22.5 x 28.3 cm
Description
In the lower center of the photographer there is a deep scratch, dark in color.
The mosque erected by Muhammad ‛Ali is the most prominent monument in Cairo. Its commanding location on the citadel enables its soaring minarets to be seen throughout the city, and the combination of dome and semi-domes is successful as silhouette. Work started in late 1828 under Yusuf Bushnaq, a Greek from Istanbul, and continued for at least nine years after Muhammad ‛Ali's death. Although such centrally planned mosques in Istanbul as that of Sultan Ahmed have been cited as models, the copyist was blind to any of the subtleties of the originals. The interior of the mosque of Muhammad ‛Ali may recreate the wonderful sense of space that characterizes mosques in Istanbul, but the way in which the four semi-domes are attached to the blank walls of the exterior without any transitional zone is extremely crude. The alabaster revetment of the mosque, which rises to 11 m, is another major aesthetic flaw; as even some contemporaries suspected, its poor weathering qualities have resulted in discolouration and pitting. The building served as Muhammad ‛Ali's mausoleum, as he had intended.Grove Dictionary of Art
Repository
Washington University (Saint Louis, Mo.) Art & Architecture Library
lower left, in white: Bonfils.; lower right, in white: 48. Le Caire. Mosquee de Mohamet Ali, fontaine du Ablutions (Egyp[cut off]
Rights
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Permission to use, copy and distribute is hereby granted for non-commercial and education purposes only, following fair use guidelines
Permission to use, copy and distribute is hereby granted for non-commercial and education purposes only, following fair use guidelines
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