E.047 Bab Zuwayla

Preview

Creator

Denis Baly

Creation Year

January 1963

Image ID

E.047

Alternate Identifier

B05.047

Subcollection

E - Lower Egypt, Edfu, and Bodrum

Abstract

The Bab (Arabic for gate) Zuwayla, one of "the three Fatimid gates that remain standing" (Williams, 158).

Description

"Bab Zuwayla, also called Bab al-Mitwalli, dates from 1092. It was part of the city fortifications put up by the Armenian wazir Badr al-Gamali and his Anatolian or Mesopotamian Christian architects. The gate was named after Fatimid soldiers from the Berber tribe al-Zawila who were quartered in the vicinity after the building of the original gate in 969, when al-Qahira was founded ... The gate was a place for public executions, and the heads of criminals were displayed above the gate on spikes. Later the name was ascribed to a miracle-working saint, Mitwalli al-Qutb, who was venerated by the populace. The gate became a resort for those in need of the saint’s intercession. When a person was sick, a piece of clothing or some hair or other token was hung on the doors of the gate and the saint responded directly to the supplicant ... The gate was a place for public executions, and the heads of criminals were displayed above the gate on spikes. Later the name was ascribed to a miracle-working saint, Mitwalli al-Qutb, who was venerated by the populace. The gate became a resort for those in need of the saint’s intercession. When a person was sick, a piece of clothing or some hair or other token was hung on the doors of the gate and the saint responded directly to the supplicant" (Williams, 158-9).

References

Williams, Caroline. Islamic Monuments in Cairo: The Practical Guide. The American University in Cairo, 2002.

Image Notes

Creation date unknown. Photograph processed September 1963. Formerly cataloged as B05.047. Notes written on the slide of index: Bab Zoueileh.

Image Format

35 mm slide

Geographic Reference

Cairo, Egypt