Full Text Available
Note: Clicking the button above will open the full text document at the original institutional repository in a new window.
Hawsh al-Basha: The Royal Cemetery in Cairo
This thesis focuses on Hawsh al-Basha, the royal cemetery near the mausoleum of Imam al-Shafi‘i, which is arguably one of the most intriguing architectural moments in Ottoman Cairo. Firstly, the historiography of Hawsh al-Basha is examined carefully in order to situate the mausoleum temporally and g...
Saved in:
| Main Author: | |
|---|---|
| Format: | Thesis |
| Published: |
AUC Knowledge Fountain
2021
|
| Subjects: | |
| Tags: |
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1867613419114332160 |
|---|---|
| access_status_str | Open Access |
| author | Kolkailah, Mai Mohamed |
| author_browse | Kolkailah, Mai Mohamed |
| author_facet | Kolkailah, Mai Mohamed |
| author_sort | Kolkailah, Mai Mohamed |
| collection | Thesis |
| description | This thesis focuses on Hawsh al-Basha, the royal cemetery near the mausoleum of Imam al-Shafi‘i, which is arguably one of the most intriguing architectural moments in Ottoman Cairo. Firstly, the historiography of Hawsh al-Basha is examined carefully in order to situate the mausoleum temporally and geographically. Secondly, for a critical rewriting of the historical narrative, this study systematically cross-references contemporary sources with nineteenth-century travel accounts, among other material evidence, to effectively reconstruct the complicated building chronology of Hawsh al-Basha and reassess when the mausoleum was built. Then, the study surveys the various categories of ornamentation employed at the royal cemetery, focusing on two chief categories: inscriptions and floral elements. In the process of a one-to-one mapping of Hawsh al-Basha’s eclectic blend of appropriated decorative motifs to local, eastern, and western models of inspiration, the definition of what constituted the Ottoman stylistic tradition during the nineteenth century is revised and expanded. Last but not least, this study develops a comparative trajectory between the artistic miliues in the imperial state of Istanbul and the khedival province of Cairo in order to analyze the vectors of influence driving the eclectic tendencies of Hawsh al-Basha’s stylistic evolution in relation to the broader contextual frameworks of Ottoman urban structures and socio-political agendas. Be it a strategically synthetic achievement or an unresolved hybrid monstrosity, Hawsh al-Basha represents a manifestation of power, a moment of decisive visual transformation, and a memory of a modernizing social order. |
| format | Thesis |
| id | oai:fount.aucegypt.edu:etds-2561 |
| institution | American University in Cairo (Egypt) |
| last_indexed | 2026-06-10T12:35:50.652Z |
| license_str | Not specified — see source repository |
| provenance_str_mv | Harvested via OAI-PMH from AUC Knowledge Fountain — bepress |
| publishDate | 2021 |
| publishDateRange | 2021 |
| publishDateSort | 2021 |
| publisher | AUC Knowledge Fountain |
| publisherStr | AUC Knowledge Fountain |
| record_format | dspace |
| source_str | AUC Knowledge Fountain — bepress |
| spelling | oai:fount.aucegypt.edu:etds-2561 Hawsh al-Basha: The Royal Cemetery in Cairo Kolkailah, Mai Mohamed This thesis focuses on Hawsh al-Basha, the royal cemetery near the mausoleum of Imam al-Shafi‘i, which is arguably one of the most intriguing architectural moments in Ottoman Cairo. Firstly, the historiography of Hawsh al-Basha is examined carefully in order to situate the mausoleum temporally and geographically. Secondly, for a critical rewriting of the historical narrative, this study systematically cross-references contemporary sources with nineteenth-century travel accounts, among other material evidence, to effectively reconstruct the complicated building chronology of Hawsh al-Basha and reassess when the mausoleum was built. Then, the study surveys the various categories of ornamentation employed at the royal cemetery, focusing on two chief categories: inscriptions and floral elements. In the process of a one-to-one mapping of Hawsh al-Basha’s eclectic blend of appropriated decorative motifs to local, eastern, and western models of inspiration, the definition of what constituted the Ottoman stylistic tradition during the nineteenth century is revised and expanded. Last but not least, this study develops a comparative trajectory between the artistic miliues in the imperial state of Istanbul and the khedival province of Cairo in order to analyze the vectors of influence driving the eclectic tendencies of Hawsh al-Basha’s stylistic evolution in relation to the broader contextual frameworks of Ottoman urban structures and socio-political agendas. Be it a strategically synthetic achievement or an unresolved hybrid monstrosity, Hawsh al-Basha represents a manifestation of power, a moment of decisive visual transformation, and a memory of a modernizing social order. 2021-01-31T08:00:00Z thesis application/pdf https://fount.aucegypt.edu/etds/1596 https://fount.aucegypt.edu/context/etds/article/2561/viewcontent/Mai_Mohamed_Kolkailah_Thesis.pdf Theses and Dissertations AUC Knowledge Fountain Muhammad ‘Ali Pasha Ottoman Cairo Royal Cemetery Hawsh al-Basha Architecture Arts and Humanities |
| spellingShingle | Muhammad ‘Ali Pasha Ottoman Cairo Royal Cemetery Hawsh al-Basha Architecture Arts and Humanities Kolkailah, Mai Mohamed Hawsh al-Basha: The Royal Cemetery in Cairo |
| title | Hawsh al-Basha: The Royal Cemetery in Cairo |
| title_full | Hawsh al-Basha: The Royal Cemetery in Cairo |
| title_fullStr | Hawsh al-Basha: The Royal Cemetery in Cairo |
| title_full_unstemmed | Hawsh al-Basha: The Royal Cemetery in Cairo |
| title_short | Hawsh al-Basha: The Royal Cemetery in Cairo |
| title_sort | hawsh al basha the royal cemetery in cairo |
| topic | Muhammad ‘Ali Pasha Ottoman Cairo Royal Cemetery Hawsh al-Basha Architecture Arts and Humanities |
| url | https://fount.aucegypt.edu/etds/1596 https://fount.aucegypt.edu/context/etds/article/2561/viewcontent/Mai_Mohamed_Kolkailah_Thesis.pdf |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT kolkailahmaimohamed hawshalbashatheroyalcemeteryincairo |