Country:Egypt
City, State/Province/Region:Cairo
Location:30° 2' 29" N - 31° 15' 48" E
Project Date(s):September 30th, 2006
Release Date(s):To be determined
Time Range:1171 CE - 1250 CE
Era:Ayyubid
Culture:Ayyubid, Islamic
Site Authority:Supreme Council of Antiquities (SCA)
Blog:Bab al-Barqiyya
Heritage Listing:Aga Khan Trust for Culture (AKTC) Historic Cities Support Programme (HCSP)

Site Description:

The Ayyubid Wall is an extensive urban fortification constructed of stone in 1176 CE. The wall was built to contain the existing Fatimid city in a single updated system that included previously unprotected suburbs. The Bab al-Barqiyya is a fortified gate of somewhat unusual design with interlocking volumes that surrounded the entrant in such a way as to provide greater security and control than typical city wall gates. This gate was one of several design innovations imported from Syria and speaks to the ingenuity of the Ayyubid military engineers of that time.

History:

The Ayyubid Wall is an extensive urban fortification constructed of stone in 1176 CE, five years following the overthrow of the Fatimid caliphate (969-1171 CE) by Salah al-Din, ushering in the Ayyubid era (1171-1250 CE). The wall was built to contain the existing Fatimid city in a single updated system that included previously unprotected suburbs. The Bab al-Barqiyya is a fortified gate of somewhat unusual design, with interlocking volumes that surrounded the entrant in such a way as to provide greater security and control than typical city wall gates of the time. This gate was one of several design innovations imported from Syria and speaks to the ingenuity of the Ayyubid military engineers. With the fall of the Ayyubid caliphate in 1250 and the subsequent Mamluk eras (1250-1517 CE) the Ayyubid Wall fell into disrepair. Over subsequent centuries, the eastern side became almost completely covered in refuse; ironically, this burial under a garbage dump was probably the single greatest factor in the site's preservation, shielding much of the old architecture from the ravages of the elements and the scavenging of citizens looking for building materials to re-use.

Project Narrative:

In September 2006 a team from Development of Integrated Procedures for Restoration of Monuments (DIAPReM) of the University of Ferrara and CyArk conducted a High Definition Documentation (HDD) pilot project of the Bab al-Barqiyya, a fortified gate in the Ayyubid Wall which defines the edge between the Darb al-Ahmar district of Cairo and the new al-Azhar Park. Alessandro Grieco and Daniel Blersch represented DIAPReM and Oliver Monson represented CyArk as project coordinator. They were assisted by staff on site from AKTC and by staff from the al-Azhar Park. Shiraz Allibhai, Education Programmes Coordinator for AKTC, administered project logistics. The HDD survey occupied the days of September 25 to 29 at the beginning of Ramadan.

The purpose of the project was to demonstrate the capabilities and advantages of HDD techniques and how they might be applied to the ongoing restoration activities of the Ayyubid Wall by the Historic Cities Programme of the Aga Khan Trust for Culture. The scope of the project was to document the Bab al-Barqiyya gate itself, both exterior and interior, as well as twenty metres to each side of the gate. The project was funded by the Aga Khan Trust for Culture, Historic Cities Support Programme.

The 3D laser scan survey was executed with a Leica/Cyrax HDS 3000 by Alessandro Grieco and Daniel Blersch of DIAPReM. The 3D survey was coordinated and georeferenced with an existing topographical survey conducted by survey engineers from the al-Ahzar Park staff. The final 3D laser scan survey data registered within the topographic survey with an average error of 2mm. The laser scan survey was executed from a total of 17 area set-up positions (6 exterior, 11 interior). The resulting 17 area datasets (point clouds) were registered and fused into a master dataset (point cloud) that contains a total of 43,175,477 points. See Index of Survey Data.

High resolution and high dynamic range spherical panoramic photography was executed from each of the 17 area set-up positions, by Oliver Monson who as CyArk's representative coordinated the whole project. This photographic data was augmented by other single frame high resolution and high dynamic range photography. The photographic data provides a further level of detail and accuracy to the point cloud data set and may be fused with this data set for purposes of visualization and research.

Preservation:

The concern of the AKTC for the condition of this site dates from 1984, and in 1990 the AKTC and the Cairo Governate signed an accord whereby the AKTC assumed primary responsibility and funding for the full restoration of the 1.5 kilometer long wall, restoration of important monuments on the western side of the wall in the Darb al-Ahmar district, development of housing, education, medical and social services throughout the district, the development of an archaeological park with museum, and the development of an extensive public park, the Al-Azhar Park on the eastern side of the wall. This 30 hectare park, opened in 2005, is the first such park ever in Cairo, and provides much needed and appreciated green space for the city residents.

The preservation of the Bab al-Barqiyya is part of this comprehensive restoration project. The restoration is in its final stages and is being executed by a team of local and international experts managed and supported by the AKTC. When completed, this project will have taken the Bab al-Barqiyya and the whole Ayyubid Wall from a critically endangered state to a well preserved state that will enhance the quality of life for the citizens of Cairo. The positive effects of this project are already manifest.

References:

The Azhar Park Project in Cairo and the Conservation and Revitalization of Darb al-Ahmar, Historic Cities Support Program, The Aga Khan Trust for Culture, Geneva (2003).

Cairo: Urban Regeneration in the Darb al-Ahmar District - A Framework for Investment, Historic Cities Support Program, The Aga Khan Trust for Culture, Geneva (2005).

"Ayyubid Historic Wall Conservation" ArchNet, http://archnet.org/library/sites/one-site.tcl?site_id=5061

External Links:

ArchNet
Aga Khan Trust for Culture
University of Ferrara, DIAPReM