Takiyyat Ibrahim al-Gulshani was built between 1519 and 1524 by Ibrahim al-Gulshani, an influential Sufi shaykh from Azerbaijan whose life in Cairo bridged the period between Mamluk and Ottoman rule. The complex was the first religious foundation established in Cairo after the Ottoman conquest in 1517, and the first to be named a takiyyat, or a residential religous complex.
It consists of architectural features including a freestanding mausoleum, mosque, kitchen, shops, and apartments built for al-Gulshani's devoted followers and family members.
2018 World Monuments Watch
Today, Takiyyat Ibrahim al-Gulshani complex lies in various states of ruin, a victim of financial limitations, earthquakes, looting, and changing religious administrative structures. The complex was included on the 2018 World Monuments Watch to launch a dialogue about the restoration and future use of Takiyyat Ibrahim al-Gulshani as a case study for rehabilitating other sites of its type.
Scholars speculate that Ibrahim al-Gulshani may have had a particular personal concept of his own religious standing, and used that to determine the complex's location and architectural arrangement.
Scholars speculate that Ibrahim al-Gulshani may have had a particular personal concept of his own religious standing, and used that to determine the complex's location and architectural arrangement.
Watch Day 2019
As part of inclusion on the 2018 Watch, Watch Day was held at the historic complex to celebrate its history and significance, and to engage different types of stakeholders—from comunity activists to government dignitaries—in a conversation on the future of the site.
Watch Day also served as a coming-out-party of sorts for our project, which officially began at the start of this year.
Watch Day also served as a coming-out-party of sorts for our project, which officially began at the start of this year.
Watch Day brought together many site stakeholders, including representatives from the surrounding community, local NGOs, university students, artists, and the Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities. The day sought to explore the future use of the site through conservation and preservation.
A dynamic interchange between the participant stakeholders focused on the artistic expressions, crafts, and trades that built Takiyyat al-Gulshani, and how they can inform its future use.
A dynamic interchange between the participant stakeholders focused on the artistic expressions, crafts, and trades that built Takiyyat al-Gulshani, and how they can inform its future use.
Presentations were given on WMF’s current conservation project, the US State Department's commitment to Egypt’s heritage through the Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation, and the vision of Egypt's Ministry of Antiquities for the preservation of the site.
Presentations were given on WMF’s current conservation project, the US State Department's commitment to Egypt’s heritage through the Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation, and the vision of Egypt's Ministry of Antiquities for the preservation of the site.
The day concluded with a traditional Sufi chant performance by al-Halaqa, a musical group composed of international students studying at al-Azhar University. Their moving and passionate performance was the perfect way to end an engaging and empowering Watch Day.
The day concluded with a traditional Sufi chant performance by al-Halaqa, a musical group composed of international students studying at al-Azhar University. Their moving and passionate performance was the perfect way to end an engaging and empowering Watch Day.
A future for Takiyyat Ibrahim al-Gulshani
Special thanks to American Express, founding sponsor of the World Monuments Watch, the US State Department's Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation, and the Ministry of Antiquities in Egypt for making Watch Day and work at this important site possible.
